Sweetwater County School District No. 2 has new programming related to mental wellness this school year thanks to funding provided by the American Rescue Plan, a stimulus bill passed by Congress in 2021 that provided $303 million to help Wyoming schools mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 pandemic.
Now, the very top of the school district’s website has a link to a “Social/Mental Wellness” page, which can connect members of the school community to multiple new resources.
“They’re very easy for any staff member or any family to access these supports,” Assistant Superintendent Alan Demaret said during last week’s school board meeting.
The district has hired two counselors to be “school-based wellness therapists,” and they’ve been “working with families since this summer,” Demaret said.
The district’s website has a link that allows individuals to contact the counselors directly.
“As of (mid-September), they have over 25 different clients already that they’re serving,” he said.
The district’s website also offers access to a program called “School Pulse,” which allows students to reach therapeutic services by QR code 24 hours each day.
“It’s really a nice way for students to reach out to someone in a discrete manner where they don’t have to go to a counselor or a trusted adult,” he said. “Students and staff can take a picture of that QR code and immediately they will be sent a text message from a therapist that will check in with them and lead them through some questions to determine what kind of needs they might be having or if it is a critical situation. If it is a serious issue with a student, (the therapists) will at that point contact school administration so that we can follow up with that student.”
The district is also providing access to Care Solace, a company that Demaret said acts as a liaison to help families find the services they need and “navigate all of the barriers that are in place when you’re trying to get therapy.”
“While there’s been a lot more effort throughout our county to provide more therapeutic services, there’s a lot of hoops you have to jump through,” he said.
As with School Pulse, the individuals can use a QR code on the district website to access Care Solace, which will determine the right type of therapist an individual needs and also takes care of scheduling and insurance issues. Information about the program is also distributed throughout the district’s buildings, Demaret said.
The district is also continuing a program it started last year, Mindfulness Wednesdays. That program is led by Jennifer Brown, a speech pathologist in the district and a yoga instructor, who meets with staff at a different school each week to lead them in exercises that promote wellness and relaxation.
“Even if some folks are not as comfortable with some yoga moves, or they’re maybe self-conscious about that, Jen assures me that they just need to show up and she will work with them, even if it’s just breathing pieces,” Demaret said.
The district is also continuing its Healthy Teacher Online Platform, a program on nutrition, mental wellness and exercise. That program currently has 162 teachers signed up, Demaret said.
ARPA funds have also been used to add hall monitors to Green River High School and Lincoln Middle School.
“(The hall monitors) are really focusing on connecting with students,” Demaret said. “It’s not just a gotcha model where they’re going around to find which students are tardy for class. They’re really going around to make sure that students are OK and checking in with students who may be isolating themselves for whatever reason. … I know that already in this school year on the first day, they were a really great help to students who were already having a difficult time.”
The district has federal funds to support the programs for three years. After that money disappears, Demaret said the district will “get creative with resources” to help continue programs that have been determined to be effective.
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