The governance team’s responsibilities span five critical areas: setting direction, establishing structure, creating a supportive environment, ensuring accountability and demonstrating community leadership. These areas collectively shape the policies and practices that support student socioemotional health.
The following are key questions for governance teams to consider under each area of responsibility.
Setting direction: The governance team must prioritize mental health in the LEA’s strategic goals and core values. This commitment can be reflected in vision and mission statements and long-term plans like the Local Control and Accountability Plan that emphasize the importance of student and staff mental health.
- How can we integrate mental health priorities into strategic planning for the LEA?
- What specific goals can we set to improve students’ social-emotional health?
Establishing structure: Allocating resources effectively is a litmus test of the district’s commitment to wellness. The board’s decisions on funding can support programs that provide safe spaces and opportunities for students to explore their identities and develop self-awareness.
- What funding is available for socio-emotional health programs?
- How can we ensure equitable access to these resources for all students?
Creating a supportive environment: It is critical to recruit and retain staff equipped to support student mental health. The governance team should ensure staff receive ongoing training and resources to perform their roles effectively.
- What professional development opportunities related to supporting students’ mental health are available for staff?
- How can we support staff in implementing socioemotional learning initiatives?
Ensuring accountability: Regularly assessing the impact of socioemotional health services is essential. The board should implement measures to track existing programs’ effectiveness and identify areas for improvement.
- What metrics can we use to evaluate the success of our socioemotional learning programs?
- How can we involve students in providing feedback on these initiatives?
Demonstrating community leadership: Communicating the importance of socioemotional health to families and the broader community fosters partnerships and shared goals. The governance team can lead by example, promoting a culture that values mental health and well-being.
- How can we effectively communicate our commitment to socio-emotional health?
- What partnerships can we build to support these efforts?
The governance team’s role in supporting student socioemotional health is critical. School boards can create an environment where students thrive emotionally and academically by prioritizing mental health in strategic planning, resource allocation, staff development, accountability measures and community engagement. CSBA provides mental health research and guidance for school board members including links to helpful resources at www.csba.org/safeschools.