This Minnesota AWARE-SEA Project will expand previous work in school-based mental health by implementing evidence-based practices which will positively impact student mental health across the continuum from prevention to treatment services. LEA partners are: Northeast Metro 916 Intermediate District (1,000 of the most high-need students from 14 eastern metro districts), Duluth Public Schools (8,358 students in NE MN), and St. Louis County Schools (1,956 students in rural N MN). Working together and learning from these different types of districts will help MDE and its’ state partners build our capacity to develop effective policy and provide high-quality training and technical assistance to all districts in Minnesota. MN Project AWARE staff will also support LEAs in establishing the infrastructure necessary to bill Medicaid for school-based mental health services and collaborate to make the policy changes needed for such Medicaid expansion to occur to address sustainability of direct services to students.
This project will serve: 75 new students in Year 1, 100 new students in both Year 2 and 3, and 125 new students in both Year 4 and 5 for 525 new students total; 11,314 indirectly in the 3 LEAS; and 850,000 statewide. Project goals and objectives include:
1) Increase capacity of the three LEAs to implement comprehensive school mental health systems.
a. By December 2021, train-the-trainer cadres will be developed for Youth Mental Health First Aid (YMHFA) and for Sources of Strength (SOS).
b. By February of 2022, two key staff from each LEA will be trained on Cognitive Behavior Interventions for Trauma in Schools (CBITS) and Bounce Back (BB).
c. By April 2022, all school staff in each of the LEAs will receive training in the school mental health referrals pathways protocol.
d. By September 2022, all school staff will receive training on trauma informed schools and adverse childhood experiences (ACES).
e. By September 2022, student supports teams from each LEA will be trained on CBITS and BB.
2) Increase access to quality, sustainable, culturally responsive, and developmentally appropriate school-based mental health services and supports.
a. By August 2023, the LEAs will have defined the Interconnected Systems Framework (ISF).
b. By October 2022, CBITS and BB will be utilized as a Tier 2 interventions for students who have been exposed to trauma.
c. By December 2021, all LEAs will participate in the School Health Assessment Performance and Evaluation (SHAPE) system.
3) Improve policy, practices, and sustainability for Comprehensive School Mental Health (CSMH) Systems across Minnesota.
a. By January 2023, MN Project AWARE staff will have developed two statewide train-the-trainer cadres in YMHFA and for SOS.
b. By August 2023, MN Project AWARE staff will train 100 licensed school staff from across Minnesota on identified evidence-based programs (EBPs), outside of the three LEAs.
c. By August 2024, MN Project AWARE staff will train 100 district staff on the PREPaRE Model to increase their capacity to respond to school crises.
d. By September 2026, 150 districts across the state of Minnesota will have completed the SHAPE assessment and CSMH curriculum training.
e. By August 2026, six partner LEAs will have established infrastructure
f. By August 2024, a model for reflective consultation for teachers supporting student mental health will be established, piloted, and assessed
4) Increase outreach and engagement with school-aged youth and their families to promote mental health awareness across Minnesota.
a. By December 2021, each of the LEAs will have a Project AWARE Advisory Group
b. By May 2022, each Project AWARE LEA will host two community-wide mental health awareness events.
c. By October 2022, MN Project AWARE staff from each LEA will train a student group on the YMHFA and SOS peer-to-peer programs.
d. By August 2022, MN Project AWARE staff will build capacity of LEAs to conduct inclusive family engagement on CSMH