By Marissa Schwartz, Communications Specialist
Mental health and wellness are a priority at Monterey Peninsula Unified School District. Superintendent PK Diffenbaugh, our board of education and student support staff are working hard to make sure students, teachers and staff at MPUSD are provided with access to mental health services.
MPUSD is officially recognizing National Mental Health Awareness Month with a resolution approved by our trustees.
This school year MPUSD invested more than $3 million in funding from our Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP) to support mental health services.
During our LCAP community engagement meetings, social-emotional support and mental health support were two common themes during discussions with parents, teachers, staff and community members.
We are also using funding from the federal American Rescue Plan Act and federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) plan, issued to school districts across the nation in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Our district is using this additional funding to identify students who need extra support with academics, social-emotional, mental health, and nutrition support.
At MPUSD, every school has a mental health professional or family services specialist, who works to meet the needs of student well-being and promotes academic success.
According to our current LCAP, goal #5 highlights "by 2024, all schools will make progress by implementing Multi-Tier Systems of Support as evidenced by student YouthTruth perception data, parent engagement survey data, chronic absenteeism and attendance rates, grades and suspension rates."
Our school district is making it a priority to invest in mental health clinicians and family services specialists to provide mental health and social-emotional support, including student attendance campaigns and help for foster youth and students facing homelessness.
Here are some important links below, to get more information on resources:
MPUSD also utilizes our social media accounts to share important information about upcoming workshops, resources, staff training and school-based activities focused on mental health and social-emotional support. Follow us to stay informed!
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