Students, families, and educators are currently navigating unprecedented stressors related to COVID-19 and other local and national events that significantly impact well-being and engagement with schools. As states, districts and schools plan for reopening in a variety of ways, supporting student mental health has never been more critical.
The National Center for Safe Supportive Learning Environments (NCSSLE) launched this Bringing Into Focus webinar series to support K-12 school systems to effectively re-engage students in learning for the 2020-2021 school year.
This initial webinar illuminated challenges related to supporting students’ mental health in today’s unique circumstances as schools reopen. National experts in school mental health considered how schools can: carry out appropriate check-in and screening approaches to inform schoolwide practices and indicated mental health programming; and work with community partners to arrange “ready capacity” to address the most serious mental health needs students will likely present. Presenters promoted longstanding tenets for best practice and shared numerous options school systems can consider as they adapt and begin to provide for safety and psychological well-being students will require to achieve both academic and developmental success for this school year.
The webinar is applicable to state, district, and building-level administrators, teachers, and specialized instructional support personnel working to foster students’ well-being as schools re-open. The webinar featured examples, tools, and resources to support re-engagement in school.
The webinar included the following presenters:
- Sandra Williamson, Director, National Center on Safe Supportive Learning Environments
- Nancy Lever, Ph.D., Co-Director, National Center for School Mental Health
- Sharon Hoover, Ph.D., Co-Director, National Center for School Mental Health