Equipped with mental health specialists, peer leaders, counselors and other resources, Dublin City Schools is taking on several new initiatives to address student mental health issues.
“We take a lot of care to make sure that their mental health needs are getting addressed as best we can,” says Tyler Wolfe, director of student well-being at Dublin City Schools.
The initiatives tackle suicide prevention and awareness in primarily middle and high schools. Health class instructors are trained to conduct SOS, or Signs of Suicide, protocols to identify students who have suicide or self-harm ideations and intervene to allow them to receive the care that they need.
“We identify kids who have situations that impede their ability to learn,” Wolfe says. “We have mental health specialists in our buildings, we have contact with Syntero, and we have an array of school counselors and we do a ton of projects throughout the district.”
This year, the district created a student-led program called Hope Squad to further address high-schoolers’ mental health needs.
The Hope Squad’s primary focus is bringing suicide awareness and prevention initiatives to high schools. Hope Squad team members are first nominated by their peers and assessed by a team of faculty. They are then trained to identify signs of suicide and intervene appropriately. Though not certified counselors, peer leaders are still a great resource for students in need.
ROX, a national organization headquartered in Ohio, focuses on helping female students in fifth through twelfth grade. Dublin City Schools work closely with ROX and hope to expand the ROX program even further.
“ROX focuses on self-concept, self-image, self-confidence, perseverance, self-esteem and taking initiative and leadership skills for female students,” Wolfe says.
Life Sports, a positive youth development program, is a summer program offered in partnership with The Ohio State University and provides opportunities for students to participate in sports, specifically those who would not otherwise be able to.
“We provide this free, positive youth development program in the summertime, completely free, for students to participate in sports and wellness activities throughout the summer,” Wolfe says. “Last summer, we had 120 students participate and this next summer we are hoping to expand that to 240 students and include fourth-, fifth-, sixth-, seventh and eighth-graders.”
All programs actively collaborate with one another, as well as with staff, parents and students, to provide students with adequate wellness resources to support their life in school.
Dublin City Schools prides itself on strong great partnerships with The Ohio State University, Nationwide Children’s Hospital and all Hope Squad partners. But the district isn’t stopping there – more wellness initiatives are on the horizon to help address even more of the students’ needs.
“I think that they are great because they provide opportunities for kids that are beyond just the academic opportunities,” Wolfe says. “Also, I think it helps them to have an avenue to address some of their mental health needs as best we can in a public school setting.”
Claire McLean is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com
