MEEKER | During the 2023-2024 school year, the Meeker School District gathered survey data through a community survey developed by the school district and a school staff survey developed by the Colorado Department of Education (CDE). The data collected let to the development of an action plan that can be accessed on the district’s website: www.meeker.k12.co.us
A major concern expressed by both community members and school staff was the mental health support available for students. The challenges associated with providing mental health support and appropriate social/emotional learning (SEL) opportunities for students are not unique to the Meeker School District. These issues are consistently among the greatest concerns shared by school leaders across the state and nation.
Since the 2016-2017 school year, the Meeker School District has tripled the number of full-time counselors. Previously, the only counselor was at Meeker High School, where the primary focus was college and career guidance for high school students. In the spring of 2017, the district added a full-time counselor to serve the elementary and middle schools in response to a rise in disruptive behaviors and the need for mental health support at both schools. As students’ social/emotional needs escalated during the COVID-19 pandemic, a third full-time counselor was hired in the 2022-2023 school year. Each school in our district now has a full-time counselor, and all three counselors collaborate to support students. The district also maintains strong relationships with Pioneers Medical Center, MindSprings Mental Health and HopeWest to provide additional mental health support for students with greater needs.
In response to needs identified by school staff, the district began making more intentional efforts during the 2022-2023 school year to provide age-appropriate social/emotional learning (SEL) for students. Initially, universal SEL instruction was provided for all students. However, after evaluating its effectiveness in spring 2024, the district determined that only elementary students required universal SEL. At the middle and high school levels, SEL is integrated into the health curriculum, with counselors offering additional SEL support when needed. As a result, counselors no longer provide universal SEL instruction in middle and high school. Instead, their time has been reallocated to provide support in the school environment for students with more significant mental health needs. An important note regarding SEL instruction is that our school district has been mindful to be transparent with the curriculum we use, keep parents informed, and be aligned with the family values in our community.
CDE’s survey indicated a significant decrease in school staff’s capacity to “discuss mental health or suicide with students.” With the increased counseling capacity, instructional staff are not expected to address these issues directly. However, because many students maintain positive relationships with staff members, it is crucial that school staff know how to direct students to appropriate support if the student is in need. All staff received Mental Health First Aid training in January of 2022. Additionally, all staff have been instructed on the steps to take if they believe a student is at risk of self-harm.
Student mental health support will continue to be a challenge in the foreseeable future. However, because our mission is to support student learning, and student mental health is foundational to learning, the Meeker School District remains committed to providing appropriate SEL instruction and counseling support for our students.
By CHRIS SELLE
Meeker School District Superintendent
