GILLETTE, Wyo. — As part of district goals to provide services supporting the well-being of students and staff, the Campbell County School District plans to expand an after-school program aimed at elementary students with additional support needs.
In their brief meeting on Tuesday night, Campbell County School Board members delved into a 26-page report on efforts to support student and employee well-being.
Broken into five strategies, the presentation was part of a larger district planning document called the Strategic Plan, which was separated by a goal to make meeting discussion more efficient, Board Chairwoman Anne Ochs said.
An overview of the full plan, which serves as a roadmap for district decision-making through 2027, is available to view on the school district website.
As part of the Strategic Plan, the district is focused on improving not just academic markers but also overall wellness, and data on the latter was a focus of Tuesday’s presentation.
Presented by Human Resources Director Melanie Sylte and Student Support Services Director Eric Stremcha, the report discussed interventions aimed at tackling issues related to social skills, substance abuse and suicide prevention for all grade levels.
For elementary school students in the district, a program designed to intervene and help students who need additional support will be coming to more schools this year, Stremcha told the board.
Called the Motivated and Responsible Kids, or MARK, program, it offers before- and after-school support for students needing help with relationships and coping skills, emotional regulation and other issues as recommended by their principal. Piloted last school year in several schools, MARK is a voluntary program. Parents are notified if their child is needing the help the program provides, but parents make the final say if their child participates.
Schools in the district work off of a three-tier intervention system, with tier one consisting of in-class curricula and assessments and increases in tools and level of involvement up to tier three, which includes district-level support and mental health referrals.
MARK is designed for those needing tier-two and tier-three interventions, according to the report, and has good testimonial evidence reported out from last year, Stremcha said.
Watch the full meeting here.
