Oct 14, 2019, Dayton (OH) Daily News: Dayton schools’ mental health services expansion hits delays https://www.daytondailynews.com/news/local-education/dayton-schools-mental-health-services-expansion-hits-delays/5hFg1se89KFZtLljxwXI0J/# Dayton Public Schools hopes to expand its mental health services for students even further than planned a few months ago, but the process has hit obstacles, causing some difficulties for families seeking services now…. In late May, the school board approved spending $882,000 a year to hire 10 new behavioral/mental health specialists to work directly with students struggling with trauma and mental health issues. But negotiations with mental health providers did not produce a deal this fall. Now that Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio legislature have approved additional “student wellness” funding in the state budget, Lolli said the district is changing its approach and hopes to raise that to 25 specialists — one for every Dayton school. Treasurer Hiwot Abraha told the school board last week that Dayton has received more than $2.9 million in wellness funding this year, and Lolli said that amount will be more than $4 million next year. “With the governor’s money, we’re having conversations with Children’s Hospital on a partnership,” Lolli said. … Kemp Elementary Principal Stacy Maney said that would be a big help to solve inconsistencies in service, where different schools have different levels of support. She also hoped that an overseeing agency could provide a rubric or set of qualifying factors that school-level staff can use to identify students in need of services for specific issues…. Lolli said she wants mental health providers to create clear plans for students, including targeted services with an end goal and performance metrics. It would be another tool, along with the CHAMPS classroom management training, social-emotional learning curriculum in fifth and sixth grade, five recently hired consultants who train teachers on de-escalation, and the soon-to-begin PAX behavior intervention effort. …
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