As with previous school years, the Mentally Healthy Return to School Action Plan was developed and utilized for the 2021–2022 school year. The action plan focused on four key priorities supporting student mental health and well-being. Those priorities included the following:
- Create a mentally healthy return to school for all students, including their re-engagement in the classroom, by continuing to create safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments. Create a sense of belonging and a mentally healthy return to school following remote learning. Mobilize focused support for those disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
- Identify and address emerging and escalating student mental health problems. Use tiers to support student mental health, ensuring students are connected to additional mental health services when required.
- Ensure elementary and secondary educators, school support staff, and mental health champions feel equipped to intentionally and explicitly support student mental health in the classroom by implementing School Mental Health Ontario resources.
- Give students and parents/caregivers access to resources that support student mental health throughout the school year and the global pandemic.
The wellness of our students is a priority. Educators continue to be encouraged and supported to use proactive, evidence-based mental health strategies from School Mental Health Ontario, as well as restorative practices. In addition, various mental health promotion initiatives occurred throughout the school year, such as activities run by our Jack Chapters, the Be Kind Challenge, Chatterhigh Modules, and the Be Well Passport, done in partnership with Evolution Mine, Kenora Catholic, Northwest Catholic, and Rainy River District School Boards.
The KPDSB mental health team expanded during the 2022–2023 school year, increasing from five student counsellors to seven. Two additional student counsellor positions were allocated to the Kenora and Dryden areas. In addition, the board continues to partner with FIREFLY for access to in-school FIREFLY counsellors for Sioux North High School, Dryden High School, and Ignace School. Partnerships with multiple community partners continue to ensure additional mental health services are available in schools. Implementing the Protocol for External Community Partners providing mental health services within our schools, face-to-face and virtually, continues as a priority.
Summer mental health services for students were provided during the summer of 2022. Services included direct service to students, wellness check-ins, development of help-seeking presentations and poster series, attendance policy review, and the development of a memorandum of understanding between KPDSB and Choose Life for mental health services for Pickle Lake students for the 2022–2023 school year.
The board has continued to use the tiered system for supporting student mental health and well-being. The multi-tiered system helps to ensure universal support: “good for all” services are provided in tier 1 as prevention, “necessary for some” in tier 2 as early intervention, and “essential for a few” in tier 3 as clinical intervention.
