Physical, Social-Emotional & Mental Health

Overall Considerations

• Formalize a plan/protocol to ensure a safe learning environment for students and staff.

• Develop a framework to ensure students are and connected to at least one caring adult in the school. Explore strategies to develop healthy relationships with students such as For Educators: Relationship Mapping Strategies.

• Develop a plan to educate students, school staff and families about the roles of student support personnel and other community partners in supporting student success. Consider using this document as a resource: Collaborating for Student Success: Understanding the Roles of Professional Student Support Personnel.

• Contact families in advance and consider conducting a needs assessment, such as the West Virginia Department of Education Family Re-entry Questionnaire to determine needs prior to re-entry.

• Determine protocols, training and materials to keep staff, families and students educated and protected.

• Communicate re-entry plans via a variety of channels to provide return-to-school information to students, staff and families to minimize worries and concerns.

  • Consider conducting virtual meetings, led by the school mental health staff, to provide education around the roles of student support staff and plans to assist students with physical, social-emotional and mental health needs to help with minimizing worries and concerns.

• Expedite resource mapping to identify available resources and needs.

  • Collaborate closely with the West Virginia Department of Education, the West Virginia Department of Health and Human Resources (WV DHHR), the local health department, community partners and childcare providers (including before/after school care) to assess resources, determine a need for additional support and develop/continue safe and supportive practices and procedures.

• Establish and communicate a referral process to address the physical, social-emotional and mental health needs of students and staff.

• Mobilize a crisis response and planning team consisting of school administrators, a school counselor, a school nurse, educators, parents and others identified in West Virginia State Code to update and revise the West Virginia Schools Crisis Prevention and Response Plan through collaborative planning. (Refer to Crisis Response Plan Template Overview/Instructions for more information.)

Physical Wellness

• The school nurse should communicate with local health officials and collaborate with school-based health centers to determine strategies to prevent community spread and best practices related to COVID-19 and re-entry.

  • Collaborate with community partners to establish county-wide health guidelines in addressing needs in the areas including:
    • safety equipment
    • staff caring for a student with infectious symptoms
    • cleaning and disinfecting
    • health office visits
    • return to school
    • students with chronic health conditions
    • social distancing
    • planning for quarantined area/appropriate ventilation

• Determine protocols for identifying, isolating/caring for and tracking students or staff who have entered the building and present with symptoms, or are COVID-19-confirmed, or potentially exposed (i.e., assess risk and decide building dismissal under the guidance of local health officials).

• Establish an alternative work plan/schedule for employees who have been identified by their physician to be at a higher risk for severe illness when appropriate and as determined by school/work needs.

• The school nurse should systematically review all current health plans for accommodating students with special healthcare needs and update their care plans as needed to decrease their risk of exposure to COVID-19. Consider ways to accommodate the needs of children who are medically fragile, have underlying medical conditions and/or are prone to illnesses.

• Collaborate to assess resources (i.e., personnel, existing partners, local providers) to determine if there is a need for additional supports, medical services, supplies, etc. and establish partnerships with community providers to provide additional services and resources, as needed.

  • Inventory and prepare to provide students, school health personnel and staff with any necessary safety and disinfecting supplies.

• Collaborate with the school nurse to review health policies and practices to determine waivers and/or changes in practices.

• The school nurse should establish and communicate safe procedures for any basic health screenings (e.g., hearing, vision).

• The school nurse should collaborate to provide education and materials around safety protocols (e.g., proper handwashing, surface cleaning, cough/sneezing etiquette, properly wearing a mask).

  • Create developmentally appropriate and family-friendly virtual training and resources on safety protocols for school staff to share with students and communicate with parents/guardians.
  • Identify and use signage explaining best practices to prevent germ spread in classrooms and common areas.

Social-Emotional Wellness

• Identify instructional programs/resources to explicitly teach student social-emotional competencies.

  • The school counselor should collaborate with the school leadership team to ensure the West Virginia College- and Career-Readiness Dispositions and Standards for Student (WVBE Policy 2520.19) for grades K-12 are integrated throughout all curriculum/lessons.
  • Ensure curriculum and resources promote social justice and equity for all students.

• Establish a trauma-sensitive school and consider the following:

  • Review the discipline policies to ensure the school is using a trauma-informed approach. Avoid assuming a lack of demonstration of social skills represents willful disobedience or purposeful insubordination. This should take priority over academics.
  • Utilize professional student support staff or partner agencies (i.e. WV Behavior Mental Health/Technical Assistance Center) to provide professional learning opportunities about trauma to equip school staff to support students, families and each other.
  • Define a plan to monitor student adjustment to re-entry and establish protocols for identifying and providing check-ins with vulnerable students.
  • Establish partnerships with support agencies (e.g., WV DHHR – prevention lead organizations, Family Resource Networks, Child Advocacy Centers, Handle With Care) to provide prevention, supports and resources, as needed.

• Create opportunities for school leaders to connect and share ideas to address social-emotional learning (SEL) competencies and capacities aligned to the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) five core competencies.

Mental Health Wellness

• Develop a mental health crisis response team, as outlined in the Crisis Response Plan Template Overview/Instructions, to provide mental health supports in response to a crisis. Consider the procurement of additional mental health assessment services, including crisis management support.

• Establish a school mental health collaborative team consisting of school counselors, school psychologists, social workers and school nurses who advocate for students in areas of discipline, support, intervention, de-escalation/coping and referral. The team should also focus on the physical, social-emotional and mental health wellness of students, staff and families.

• Plan for school psychologists, school counselors and other student support professionals to be available to provide mental health supports (especially when school starts).

• Support staff mental health readiness for re-entry:

  • Develop supports and provide resources for staff self-care to address compassion fatigue prevention, how to deal with grief/loss and build resiliency.
  • Provide information about employee assistance programs available through West Virginia Public Employees Insurance Agency (PEIA) and in your community.
  • Provide opportunities for staff to process emotions, share challenges and provide support for one another.
  • Develop a referral system for individuals who need targeted support as well as access to school-employed and community mental health professionals.