A Message from the Director

It’s November already and all of the fall activities are in full swing- football games, harvest festivals and the excitement of the pending holiday season- my favorite time of year! In the world of Safe and Supportive Schools our division will host our quarterly virtual Superintendent Feedback Forum, Nov 9^th from 3:30-4:40. The topics we will be covering are mental health resources and training, threat assessment, and discipline alternatives. This space is intended for our TEA team to listen and learn from district leaders in the field how we can support and continuously improve our systems resources and process to be more effective in our work. We will also share updates from the division and highlight future opportunities the Office of School Safety Support and Security has available. If you are interested in attending, please reach out to me directly and I will send you all of the details amy.blakey@tea.texas.gov. Wishing you all a productive, fun-filled and safe month!

Restorative Discipline Practices

Dr. Gaye Lang: Restorative Discipline Practices Statewide Director

Restorative Practices Made Simple published the 10^th episode in the series. In this video, Dr. Gaye Lang and panelists Tijuana Hudson and Clifton Wilson discuss experiences and insights on Planning for Success and how to effectively implement Restorative Discipline Practices, with a focus on training teachers and administrators. Watch the latest Restorative Practices Made Simple episode -- Planning for Success: Implementation (Part 1).

Restorative Discipline Practices Trainings for November:

Register for upcoming RDP trainings at RDP Training Information. If the training you plan to attend is FULL, please check the website periodically. New training dates are updated monthly.

Please submit all questions regarding Restorative Discipline Practices to rdp@tea.texas.gov.

Mary Scott: Student Discipline Program Specialist

• Student Discipline Virtual Trainings for November.

              ESC 19 - November 1, 2023 (Please register through ESC 19)

• Student Discipline Technical Resources are now located on the Student Discipline webpage: Student Discipline Program Technical Resources and Samples

• Please submit questions regarding student discipline policy and procedure to StudentDisciplineSupport@tea.texas.gov and questions regarding student discipline data reporting requirements via TSDS Incident Management System (TIMS).

Victoria Rossi: Educator Training Specialist is developing an educator training series focused on addressing student behavior and creating a better school experience for students and educators.

Mental Health and Wellness Team

Julie Wayman: Director of Mental and Behavioral Health

Tammy Gendke: Mental Health Program Coordinator

Ashton Millet: AWARE Texas Expansion Consortium State Coordinator

Jerlene Gibbs: Mental Health and Education Program Specialist

The Mental Health and Wellness Team welcomes Jerlene Gibbs to the Texas Education Agency.  Jerlene brings broad experience teaching students with mental health challenges, providing school counseling, and leading systems level workstreams for school climate and culture in Texas school districts.  Collaborating with our AWARE Texas initiative, Jerlene will work closely with TEA teams, state agency mental health partners, and ESCs to identify and share mental health resources with schools.  Welcome to TEA Jerlene!

The Mental Health and Wellness Team hosted a Substance Abuse Prevention and Fentanyl Poisoning Awareness webinar on October 18. This webinar highlighted the work of the Texas Targeted Opioid Response Team, and prevention resources from the Health and Human Services. Information from TEA’s Fentanyl Response Communication Toolkit was highlighted.  ESC 12, West ISD, Channelview ISD and BACODA shared regional and local resource examples implemented for substance use prevention and intervention locally.  Stakeholders may view a recording of the Webinar here:  Webinars - Texas School Mental Health (schoolmentalhealthtx.org)

TEA continues to support the Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) that provides telemedicine or telehealth programs to school districts to help identify and assess the behavioral health needs of students and provide access to mental health services. To find out more information or to see if your district has a partnership with TCHATT, visit their website at Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine (TCHATT) – TCMHCC (utsystem.edu).

It was an honor for the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department to invite TEA’s Safe and Supportive School Team to tour their facilities on October 10. The team had the opportunity to talk with staff and observe the hard work that is being put into the Excel Academy and the Opportunity Center. TEA is grateful for the chance to see their examples of how a coordinated approach to student success can help divert the youth of Harris County from further involvement in the juvenile justice system.

General School Mental Health Resources:  https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/

Mental Health Resources Database: https://schoolmentalhealthtxdatabase.org/

Mental Health Best Practice Registry: https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/best-practices/

Contact the Mental Health and Wellness Team:

 mentalandbehavioralheatlh@tea.texas.gov

Student Supports Team

Hank Weikert: Director of Student Supports Implementation is developing the elements of the Safe and Supportive School Program including the Commissioner’s Rule, SSSP data reporting, and resources to support improvements in school climate and implementation of a support structure based on the multitiered system of supports framework and that addresses the behavioral, emotional, and mental health needs of students.

Carroll Sadler: Community Partnerships Specialist works with under-performing schools to provide supports and services for students and families that generate significant improvements in developmental and educational outcomes for children. Please submit all questions about Community Partnership Initiative to communitypartnerships@tea.texas.gov.

The Stronger Connections Grant Program is well underway! These grant funds support the establishment of the Texas Center for Student Supports (TCSS) in ESC Region 16 Amarillo, as well as over 60 district grantees who will pilot a partnership with the TCSS. The TCSS will build infrastructure to support strong, sustainable Student Support Programs, a playbook for effective parent and family engagement, and an intricate case management tool that will help track student progress through non-academic support services, among other projects. District awardees are on track to be announced in the next couple of weeks with an official grant start date of November 15^th, 2023. For more information about this grant, visit the Grants Opportunities page or email SafeAndSupportiveSchoolProgram@tea.texas.gov. Below you can see photos of the TCSS hosting their first advisory council kick-off meeting with stakeholders, and the TEA/TCSS teams at ESC 16 for a mid-October planning meeting.

TCSS Advisory Council

TEA and TCSS mid-October planning meeting

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Visit our webpage: Safe and Supportive Schools | Texas Education Agency