Agmt22 Redwood City Community Schools FY22-23

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REV: 10-05-2022 RL home communication as there have been barriers to in-person interactions due to COVID-19 restrictions. When communicating with families coordinators are focusing on identifying needs and providing intervention services to prevent families from losing access to essential needs (health insurance, housing, and employment). Family Centers are tracking touchpoints throughout the school year to gather a better understanding of how families are accessing services and feeling connected to the school. Families will be given a survey after outreach to measure impact of the accessibility to services. Mental Health Redwood City School District has adapted and implemented a robust referral process to ensure that our most vulnerable students are supported and connected to services in a timely manner. As part of the referral process, we have worked to identify four core pathways for support services. The pathways: academic, mental health, attendance, and safety net services have been identified as the core areas of support needed at schools. At each community school site, a MTSS site coordinator, mental health counselor, and community school coordinator provide integrated oversight through the use of a weekly screen team to bolster early identification and support, connect students to early interventions and address barriers to services in order to promote student and family wellbeing, prevent the need for higher levels of care and supports, and to dissolve the barriers to learning and classroom engagement (fewer/shorter disruptions of classroom learning). Due to the structure of our referral process and frequency of our screen team meetings, we have been able to expedite the amount of time to connect our students and families with the appropriate mental health services. Once a referral is submitted, there are immediate touchpoints and follow up with families, students and referent to ensure adequate and timely assistance and placement. Newcomer Support Intake Process Each year, Redwood City School District (RCSD) welcomes close to 310 Newcomer students in kindergarten through eighth grade. Newcomer students have unique needs and challenges as they learn to navigate the new social and academic culture while preparing for high school and beyond. In order to address a smoother transition into a new country and school district, we are implementing a systematic approach that provides a 1:1 connection with each newcomer student and family at three of our community schools: Kennedy, Hoover and Taft. Through an in depth interview, the coordinator in partnership with the family, determines strengths and challenges that the student and family is facing in order to create a holistic plan to address barriers to learning and fulfillment of basic needs such as a lack or need of food, clothing, mental health services, health care, transportation, extended day learning, housing, legal assistance and any other possible needs that arise due to being new to the country. Our intended outcome for Newcomer students, whose families participate in our intake process, is that students and families will feel more engaged in school, have a sense of community belonging, and empowerment to self-advocate. ATTY/AGR.2022.370/Redwood City School District (Page 7 of 8)