Project Grant H79SM088065

ADVANCING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & WELLNESS IN THE MANCHESTER, NH SCHOOL DISTRICT - ADVANCING BEHAVIORAL HEALTH & WELLNESS IN THE MANCHESTER, NH SCHOOL DISTRICT THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT, THROUGH PROJECT AWARE (ADVANCING WELLNESS AND RESILIENCY IN EDUCATION) IS COMMITTED TO IMPROVING OUTCOMES FOR YOUTH IN ITS SCHOOLS BY IMPLEMENTING NH'S MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM OF SUPPORTS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND WELLNESS (MTSS-B). IN COLLABORATION WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS, THE SCHOOL DISTRICT WILL IMPLEMENT TIERED SUPPORTS IN THE SCHOOLS FROM PREVENTION THROUGH INTERVENTION THAT SUPPORT STUDENTS WITH MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE MISUSE, AND SCHOOL SAFETY. THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT IS THE LARGEST URBAN SCHOOL DISTRICT IN NEW HAMPSHIRE AND HAS TWENTY-ONE (21) SCHOOLS, INCLUDING 13 ELEMENTARY, 4 MIDDLE, AND 4 HIGH SCHOOLS SERVING 12,508 STUDENTS, WITH 51.18% OF THE POPULATION CONSIDERED TO BE ECONOMICALLY DISADVANTAGED. THE SCHOOLS BOAST DIVERSITY, WITH 49.2% OF THE DISTRICT'S ENROLLMENT BEING STUDENTS OF COLOR AND OVER 18.11% OF STUDENTS ARE ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS. MENTAL HEALTH AND SCHOOL SAFETY IS A RISING AREA OF CONCERN FOR STUDENTS ACROSS THE NATION, AND THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT RECOGNIZES THIS CRITICAL NEED THROUGH ITS APPLICATION FOR PROJECT AWARE. OVER A PERIOD OF FIVE YEARS THE PROJECT WILL: 1) IMPLEMENT A THREE-TIERED PUBLIC HEALTH MODEL (MTSS-B FRAMEWORK) IN ALL 21 SCHOOLS IN THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SUPPORT STUDENT BEHAVIORAL HEALTH, REDUCE INCIDENTS OF EXCLUSIONARY DISCIPLINE AND SCHOOL VIOLENCE, & INCREASE THE HIGH SCHOOL COMPLETION RATE. 2) INCREASE PROTECTIVE FACTORS FOR STUDENTS WITH SYSTEMIC TRAINING FOR ALL SCHOOL DISTRICT STAFF IN MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION AND TRAUMA AWARENESS, AND THROUGH THE IMPLEMENTATION OF DISTRICT AND COMMUNITY MESSAGING, SYSTEMS, & BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTEGRATION TO REDUCE STIGMA AND INCREASE HELP SEEKING BEHAVIORS IN STUDENTS AND FAMILIES TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES. 3) DECREASE THE PERCENTAGE OF YOUTH WHO ARE VAPING REGULARLY BY IMPLEMENTING EVIDENCE-BASED PROGRAMMING AND PREVENTION EDUCATION IN MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOLS (6,540 STUDENTS) THAT INFORMS STAFF & STUDENTS OF THE IMPACTS OF VAPING ON PHYSICAL HEALTH. MTSS-B IS A SCHOOL-BASED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FRAMEWORK THAT BLENDS POSITIVE BEHAVIOR INTERVENTIONS AND SUPPORTS, SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING, AND EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES FROM PREVENTION THROUGH INTERVENTION, IN COLLABORATION WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO TARGET BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTEGRATION AND IMPROVE ACCESS TO SERVICES USING A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH EQUITY LENS. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ADMINISTRATORS AND SCHOOL TEACHERS IN SCHOOL-WIDE MENTAL HEALTH PROMOTION, PEER CONFLICT RESOLUTION, AND BUILDING POSITIVE RELATIONSHIPS WILL SET A STRONG FOUNDATION TO ADDRESS SCHOOL WELLNESS AND SAFETY. EVIDENCE-BASED INTERVENTIONS FOR STUDENTS IN NEED OF BRIEF INTERVENTION SUPPORT FOR TRAUMA, MENTAL HEALTH, AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ALL STUDENTS. A MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN WILL BE PLACED IN EACH HIGH SCHOOL, ALONG WITH A PERSON-CENTERED PLANNING INTERVENTION TO SUPPORT STUDENTS AT RISK OF NOT COMPLETING HIGH SCHOOL. THIS PROJECT WILL SERVE THE MANCHESTER SCHOOL DISTRICT STUDENT POPULATION BY: 1) ESTABLISHING SCHOOL-BASED TEAMS FOR BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PREVENTION AND TARGETED INTERVENTION IN ALL SCHOOLS ACROSS THE DISTRICT 2) FORMING A BEHAVIORAL HEALTH INTEGRATION TEAM AT THE DISTRICT LEVEL TO SUPPORT SCHOOL-BASED TEAMS 3) IMPLEMENTING A SCREENING PROCESS IN ALL SCHOOLS TO CONNECT STUDENTS TO SERVICES AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE 4) ESTABLISHING BRIEF INTERVENTION SERVICES IN ALL SCHOOLS FOR MENTAL HEALTH AND SUBSTANCE MISUSE 5) LAUNCHING A COMMUNITY AND DISTRICT-WIDE CAMPAIGN TO RAISE MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS AND SUPPORT SCHOOL SAFETY 6) PROVIDING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT TO STAFF IN SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES ALIGNED TO THE MTSS-B FRAMEWORK.