The Keewatin-Patricia District School Board is responsible for an annual Mental Health Action Plan for each school year. The action plan for 2022-2023 consisted of four main priorities related to supporting student mental health and well-being. Priority number one was to ensure elementary and secondary educators and school staff felt equipped to intentionally and actively support student mental health and well-being in their classroom every day. Priority number two included ensuring principals and vice-principals felt confident in creating a safe, welcoming, and inclusive space for learning and connections. In doing so, inspiring a sense of confidence and belonging for students, staff, and families. Priority three included system leaders understanding their role in supporting a mentally healthy return to school, showing commitment to mentally healthy schools through messaging and decision-making. The final priority included ensuring students and caregivers have access to resources that support student mental health. This included knowing when and how to access services when mental health concerns arose. Each of the priority items included key action items related to professional development for staff, ensuring access to resources in the classroom to support well-being, increasing pathways to care for students requiring mental health services, including services both internal and external to the board, with a focus on increasing help-seeking behaviors in youth. The Board continues to use the tiers for supporting student mental health and well-being. Thinking in tiers is common in education and is useful in school mental health. It can help to build understanding of the continuum supports available, clarify the roles for various staff in supporting student mental, and support the design and monitoring of services at the school and system level.
