BP 2.9 Health Resources and Planning: The District/School has health resources (e.g., a nurse or health aide) and an overall health plan that includes mental health, positive school climate, inclusivity, equity, and safety.

About

A school’s health plan provides services that coordinate care and support for the physical, mental, and emotional challenges facing today’s children. In the simplest of terms, health service plans provide health screening, treatment, referrals, and counseling to students who need them. The plan serves as an education tool, teaching children how to manage their emotions, maintain positive, healthy relationships, and their ever-changing bodies. These health resources work to promote an equitable, sustainable, diverse, and inclusive school learning environment.  

Vision and Benefits

These best-practice action steps help encourage a sustainable, district-wide health plan that addresses school climate, culture, diversity, and mental health while prioritizing safety. By integrating a commitment to creating a safe psychological, emotional, and physical environment for work and study, we reinforce the foundation upon which students can thrive. 

These practices empower schools and the education system as a whole to teach individuals who can set forward-thinking goals, recognize and manage their emotions, and actively contribute to an inclusive, equitable, and sustainable environment. Prioritizing safety not only enhances the overall well-being of students and staff but also fosters a sense of belonging, allowing everyone to engage meaningfully in their learning and personal growth. Ultimately, cultivating a safe atmosphere enriches our collective effort to nurture responsible citizens who are well-prepared for future challenges.

Examples from the Green Ribbon school list to be added!

Implement Best Practice Actions in a Project

Select Best Practice Actions (BPAs) to work on and complete.

Review the list of actions to improve Health Resources and Planning in your schools. Start by recording the practices already implemented in the school. To become more involved, begin by selecting new best-practice sets from the three categories listed below and document your progress over time.

A: Management & Assessment Process BPAs

A1. School Health Index (SHI): Self-Assessment & Planning Guide

• Complete a Social Health Index Assessment based on the CDC SHI Index Self-Assessment and Planning Guide. Use the assessment to plan goals and initiatives and track progress annually.

  • Documentation: Attach a summary of the SHI assessment, the score, and the plan for action.

  • Submit annual updates

A2. Minnesota Student Survey (MSS)

• A student survey is administered every three years that asks students about school climate/culture, emotional and mental health, and a range of other school-related topics. This survey is voluntary, and the Minnesota Department of Education encourages school districts to participate. This survey can serve as an assessment tool for school districts to improve their schools' culture and climate. 

A3. Purpose & Point of Assessment 

• Assessment occurs through accountability and reform processes via survey/ feedback systems that involve parents, students, faculty, and staff. These surveys measure items such as learning environment, positive relationships among students, teachers, and families, and lastly, availability and accessibility of resources 

B. Positive School Climate BPAs

B1. Social & Emotional Learning (SEL) 

• This learning is defined as a process in which individuals work to develop skills in managing emotions, setting & achieving positive goals, and establishing & maintaining positive relationships. SEL, in connection with other inclusive, equitable programs and practices, works to foster a positive school climate  

• Consider implementing SEL competencies, skills, and practices through learning units, activities, and workshops that focus on developing social-emotional skills such as healthy relationships, positive decision-making, and self-management. 

• Collaborate with families, community partners, leaders, members, and organizations to ensure the development of SEL competencies occurs beyond the classroom environment 

• Schools should establish clear rules and guidelines to foster an inclusive learning environment across classrooms, programs, and activities. It should be made clear through policies that exclusionary and bullying behaviors aren’t tolerated. 

B2. Mental Health 

• Mental Health Policies 

  • Collaborate with families, community organizations, centers, and members at large to ensure mental health literacy extends beyond the halls and walls of the school building. 

  • Consider implementing policies that work to reduce stigma around mental health and raise awareness of said policies with the school community of students, staff, and families

• Mental Health Care teams 

  • Establishing care teams consisting of a school counselor, social worker, member of the faculty, parents, and the nursing office. If circumstances call for it, include a member of the greater community with the knowledge and understanding of the situations 

  • The care team will 

    • Review the effectiveness and utilization of current services on a biennial bias 

    • Determine appropriate services & support for students seeking services

    • Implement a tiered system of supports for students 

      • Universal whole school population preventions

        • Teaching programs provided to the whole school pop. which builds healthy emotional and social skills

      • Selective interventions are provided to students presenting risky behaviors to analyze the situation and reduce the risky behaviors

      • Designate interventions as part of a personalized and purposeful mental health plan. This intervention step might involve community providers such as clinical counselors and psychologists. 

• Literacy 

  • Advocate and encourage mental health literacy, which is defined as recognizing disorders, knowing how to seek treatment information, and positive attitudes in classrooms, after-school programs, and other school-related activities.

B3. School Wellness Council 

• A school wellness council consists of students, school staff, parents, and community members who work to advocate for students' and staff's physical, emotional, and mental health. This council works to review the effectiveness of current programs, policies, and practices that promote physical, emotional, and mental health, and to implement new practices that support them. 

• Regarding school staff, the wellness council works to implement activities such as exercise and mindfulness classes that support a positive physical and emotional work environment. 

C. Diversity & Equity BPAs

C1. Community Representation 

• A school district’s school board, committee members, and other public-facing school personnel should work to reflect the district's community profile regarding race, religion, socioeconomic status, and so on. 

C2. Accessible & Equitable Learning 

• Establish an annual or biennial review to assess visible and invisible systemic, architectural, and technological barriers within the school and school community. 

  • Question to ask: 

    • How accessible are the school or school district buildings for wheelchair bound students, families, and so on? Are the accommodations for these students hidden or in undignified locations? 

    • How accessible are the learning environment and the digital tools used by the school district for hearing- and visually-impaired students, families, and others? 

    • How does the introduction of digital tools impact student learning and families depending on socioeconomic status? 

• A range of methods should be implemented in classrooms, school programs, and activities that accommodate learning disabilities and styles. Examples of accommodation methods include variance in teaching styles, media, and presentations. 

• Reduce gender and racial barriers in the learning environment by diversifying the curriculum and analyzing and combating biases/ prejudices. 

Submit Annual Review

The annual review for this best practice includes

• Confirming that Best Practice Actions are still active. (Eg, are programs still in operation and working? Are event or time-based actions repeated each year?)

• Amending the documentation with any changes

• Adding any lessons learned from the prior year to share with others.

To submit the annual review, send in the BP 2.2 Datasheet with the updated calendar year in the update column to reflect which BPAs are still active.

GreenStep Advisor

• Contact mngreenstepschools@gmail.com for assistance

Online Resources:

• See links in text above for resources relevant to specific actions, also see resources consulted or cited for sources.