Page 75 - Superintendent Report 2023-24

Expanding student access to school-based mental health support is achieved through:
• Office Hours - Optional support facilitated by the co-located administration team provides a collaborative space for
co-located mental health professionals to meet, ask questions, and share experiences regarding Caring First, Student
Information System (SIS), and other data entry and programmatic questions.
• School Mental Health Team Support - Co-located administration team supports new and established school mental
health teams to address concerns and navigate systems.
• Co-located Mental Health Professional Resource Site - An online hub for co-located mental health professionals
and school teams to access resources, strategies, program guides, and developmental videos to develop or enhance
students' access to mental health support.
School leaders consistently report a 96% positive rating for this initiative. School feedback offers praise for collaboration,
making a difference, putting students first, suicide/self-harm prevention, supporting academic success, and [helping
students] overcoming anxiety. With an eye toward the high levels of student need and within a competitive marketplace,
the continuation of the school-based (co-located) initiative is planned for FY24.

School Behavioral Health Professionals
The School District of Palm Beach County has assigned a School Behavioral Health Professional (SBHP) to every school in
the District. The responsibilities of the SBHPs are to:
• Facilitate programs throughout the school to teach students, teachers, and staff about prevention, early identification
of concerns, and address behavioral and mental health challenges.
• Provide individual and small group skill-building sessions to address challenging thoughts and behaviors.
• Initiate or support school climate efforts, such as Safe School Ambassadors, We Dine Together, Start with Hello, classroom
presentations, and teach mindfulness.
• Assist students and families with locating behavioral and mental health services to address significantly challenging
behaviors and concerns.
• Provide services that assist with the early identification of concerns and help to reduce the stigma associated with
mental health concerns.
• Serve as a member of the school’s mental health and problem-solving team(s).

SBHPs log daily activities and interventions through the Caring First logging system. A summary of the services provided
District-wide during FY23 is as follows:

• Total SBHP interventions logged: 185,728
• Unique students served by SBHPs with supplemental and intensive services: 20,754

Behavioral Health Agreement
Community agency partners coordinate with school mental health teams to provide tiered support to students and their
families. Thirty-five agencies with a Behavioral Health Agreement (BHA) provide the following:
• Tier 1 (Core) support through classroom lessons, programs, and curriculum
• Tier 2 (Supplemental) support through small group counseling, small group skills groups, substance use prevention,
and mentoring
• Tier 3 (Intensive) support through individual counseling and substance use intervention
• Wrap-around support and parent education for families and caregivers

Agencies with a BHA may provide services via telehealth, in the community, and on the school campus. Referrals and
services are documented in the Caring First application.

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