BVSD using grants to bolster physical, mental health services

The Boulder Valley School District is using grants to bolster its health programs, including paying for high school nurses, a wellness program for school staff members and — potentially — a telehealth program to provide students with free, online therapy sessions.

The district is applying for a competitive state grant to add the Hazel Health School Telehealth Program and continue its high school nurse positions.

The Colorado Department of Education has offered three-year grants to school districts since 2014 to hire more staff members supporting student mental and physical health, as well as to provide substance abuse prevention and intervention.

Boulder Valley has received funding each time the grant was offered for a total of $5.7 million. The district used the money from the previous grants mainly to hire additional nurses at six high schools and pay for substance use prevention education, assessments and interventions.

A full-time nurse at each of the district’s six largest high schools provides health services that include physical and mental health screenings, counseling, and referrals for community-based services. They also are the schools’ primary support for alcohol and substance abuse and participate in health education.

In the rest of the school district, 11 consulting nurses must cover 52 buildings.

For the next round of grants, the district is asking for close to $1 million over three years to continue to pay for the six nurse positions, expand training for middle level nurses and add Hazel Telehealth in middle and high schools. The district plans to cover the cost of providing the telehealth program in elementary schools.

“We’re in a crisis with our students,” said Tammy Lawrence, the district’s student services director. “There’s such a need right now for therapy.”

The telehealth program would be available to all students, at no cost to parents. About 40% of the program’s therapists are bilingual, filling an ongoing need.

“We just don’t have many bilingual therapists in our community,” Lawrence said. “Students can wait up to six months to receive care. With Hazel Health, they can start in two weeks.”

Boulder Valley also recently received its third grant through Kaiser Permanente’s Thriving Schools to continue its work with RISE — Resilience in Schools and Educators. The social-emotional learning program for school staff members was created by the University of Colorado Boulder. The grant is for $300,000 over three years.

The district began using the RISE program during the 2017-2018 school year with three schools and has since expanded to 27 schools. More than 300 educators have participated in small groups to learn skills for interacting with students. Another 1,000 educators have attended professional development sessions on resilience and wellness.

Curtis Robbins, a senior manager at Kaiser Permanente, said Boulder Valley is among 10 school districts that were awarded funding in the third round of the grants. Goals of the grant include increasing job satisfaction and reducing stress for school staff members, as well as supporting positive relationships with students, he said.

“Education is a key factor for a young person to have a healthy, successful life,” he said. “Knowing it’s a long-term investment, we’re excited that we can continue to help support Boulder Valley.”

MaryErin Mueller, a Boulder Valley behavioral health advocate and senior RISE facilitator,  said the program address social emotional needs and well being for adults so they can interact with students in healthy ways.

With the renewal of the grant, she said, the district plans to expand to more schools and start parent support groups at three schools to teach similar skills. An online wellness resource hub also is in the works.

Michael Flood, the assistant principal at Louisville Middle School, was introduced to RISE through a professional development session and then joined a small group while working as a high school dean and math teacher.

When he came to Louisville Middle, he made sure to offer RISE there.

“I’ve learned that checking in on myself and where I’m at before engaging with students helps me to be a better listener, a better advocate and a better educator,” he said. “Students who have experienced trauma or are experiencing trauma need a predictable learning environment and regulated adults in their lives in order to be in a mindset to learn and reach their potential.”

Lafayette’s Centaurus High School also offered both RISE professional development sessions for the entire staff plus the monthly small group workshops.

Andrea Davidson, the school’s dean of students, said teachers were asking for more support following the pandemic, the nearby Marshall Fire and ongoing fears of school shootings.

“We had really escalated students and escalated staff,” she said. “It’s been a rough few years in BVSD. We really needed some extra support.”

She said the program gives teachers immediate tools, including de-escalation techniques, mindfulness and breathing techniques. The program also improves communication and gives teachers a sense of community, she said.

“There was more burnout, more compassionate fatigue, more of everything,” she said. “Teachers can’t show up to be their best selves in the classrooms for students if you don’t give them the tools to do it.”

Kristen Zandee said her job as a mental health advocate at Centaurus is to support others, so she doesn’t always pay attention to herself.

“For me, the most powerful thing about RISE has been about self awareness,” she said. “I have more insight into my triggers, my communication styles and how I respond to kids. When I’m escalated, I can take a step back. It gives me tools to support myself so I can get out of my own way.”