Title
Ms. Griego, Dr. Rivas, Ms. Ortiz-Franklin - Wellness Without Silos: Advancing Student Wellness Through Integrated School Culture and Wellness Teams and Expanded Professional Learning (Res-059-25/26) (Noticed May 12, 2026)
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Whereas, Given that 1 in 5 students have a mental health diagnosis, Sschools have increasingly served as essential access points for social and mental health services for students and their families;
Whereas, A series of socio-political events, including immigration enforcement raids, wars and economic uncertainties, have impacted students and our school communities;
Whereas, Since the beginning of 2025, in Los Angeles and across the region, communities have witnessed heightened attacks on our most vulnerable communities, including Black, LGBTQ+, and immigrants, as a result of policies and rhetoric enacted by the federal administration.
Whereas, During COVID, the federal government provided ESSER funds to school districts, which gave way to the expeditious hiring of mental health professionals and other school-based supports at Los Angeles Unified School District;
Whereas, In 2023, the District called on School Site Administrators to establish multidisciplinary school site crisis teams comprised of administrators, psychiatric social workers, and other out-of-classroom support staff;
Whereas, The District deploys Regional and Central crisis teams to schools after traumatic crises occur to support students and families with recovery;
Whereas, School climate is intrinsically connected to supporting student mental health and wellness, as safe and supportive learning environments foster a sense of belonging, strengthen student relationships with peers and adults, and promote positive behavioral and academic outcomes, while reducing stress, anxiety, and barriers to learning;
Whereas, The District is committed to supporting a safe and positive school climate for all students through various means, including school mental health initiatives, Community-Based Safety programs, and other preventative measures such as All Schools Safe education modules;
Whereas, The School Mental Health department provides support services at a holistic three-tier intervention level, ranging from school-wide, targeted/selected, and intensive individual support levels of services, that further support school climate and safety;
Whereas, The Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District (Board) affirmed the 2013 School Climate Bill of Rights which called for a Restorative Justice model to be established at all schools by 2020;
Whereas, In 2020 the Board adopted the Student Bill of Rights, which affirmed that all students have a right to a positive school climate including school environments that are mentally, physically, and emotionally safe;
Whereas, The Board affirmed the role of school-based Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) and Restorative Practices (RP) in supporting community-based safety programs when supporting the “Strengthening and Expanding Community Based Safety Programs in Times of Heightened Immigration Enforcement” resolution;
Whereas, Research by Pennsylvania State demonstrates that systemic integration of Social Emotional Learning (SEL), both inside and outside the classroom, supports a positive school climate and improved academic outcomes;
Whereas, SEL and PBIS/RP are District priorities called out in the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan and are supported by multiple a number of divisions and programs like the Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP), School Mental Health, SEL Unit, and departments within the Student Support and Attendance (SSA) branch, including the Human Relations, Diversity and Equity Division (HRDE) Department, and the SEL Unit PBIS/Restorative Practices (PBIS/RP) Department;
Whereas, In 2022, the District directed every school to establish a PBIS/RP team comprising administrators, operations staff, educators, behavioral experts, family and community representation, and high school students, and further directed required such teams to implement the Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) framework to address student behavior and conduct, and utilize the Tiered Fidelity Inventory (TFI) to assess its implementation;
Whereas, Systems of Support Advisors (SOSAs) operate under a central structure offering region-based supports to their respective schools for the implementation of PBIS/RP aligned with MTSS. Despite this, the number of SOSAs has been reduced significantly in recent years;
Whereas, Pillar 2C of the Strategic Plan outlines several strategies aimed to cultivate and model strong social-emotional skills by: 1) integrating social-emotional learning into instruction and curricula; 2) building the capacity of all adults on campus on the use of PBIS and RP; and 3) developing school awareness and use of practices that support positive individual wellness;
Whereas, As part of the 2022-2026 Strategic Plan, submissions of SEL portfolios as a metric that measured the implementation of SEL integration was not achieved;
Whereas, The Public Policy Institute of California found that students in the highest-poverty schools are significantly more likely to experience chronic sadness by approximately 8 percentage points, compared to their peers in the lowest-poverty schools, underscoring inequities in student mental health and access to supportive resources; and
Whereas, Creating a strong school culture of support requires intentional, coordinated cross-divisional systems that foster safe, inclusive environments where students can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally, and where relationships, trust, and a sense of belonging are actively cultivated across the entire school community; now, therefore be it
Resolved, That the Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District commits to supporting a holistically integrated approach to student mental health and wellness, and school culture as a key pillar of the 2027-2030 Strategic Plan by interweaving PBIS/RP, social emotional learning, community-based safety, school-based mental health, and school culture programs and goals, and ensuring that all staff are equipped to understand and respond to the impacts of trauma on students’ overall well-being;
Resolved further, That the District will provide prioritize professional development choice board options that support student mental health, wellness, academic climate, and positive school culture., by ensuring that the majority of the choice board options are aligned with these priorities, The District consider including but not limited to, professional development offerings within BSAP, PBIS, HRDE Division, and the SEL Unit; The District shall ensure that these priorities are reflected across the range of choice board offerings and will include, but not be limited to, professional development opportunities provided through BSAP, PBIS/RP department, HRDE department, School Mental Health, SEL Unit, and other teams that support student mental health, wellness, and school culture;
Resolved further, That the District will provide trainings/professional development to centrally funded community/parent representatives, at a minimum, on the topics related to SEL, PBIS/RP, anti-bias, school culture, mental health and wellness; and make available these trainings to other parents and volunteers through the Family Academy;
Resolved further, That the District shall explore developing and/or adopting a trauma assessment system or equity index to evaluate the level of trauma in school communities, and consider how its utilization can serve to proactively deploy non-law enforcement staff and resources to support concentration of need in an equitable and preventative way, rather than relying solely on post-incident responses that may criminalize or delay outcomes;
Resolved further, That the District will leverage research, expert recommendations, and input from educators in the development of the Board’s goal for the Social Emotional Learning metric new “SEL Application Survey”, as part of the updated 2026-2030 Strategic Plan;
Resolved further, That the District shall strengthen the coordination of resources and staff, both classified and certified, and who support student mental health, wellness and school culture, and align them under the umbrella of “Integrated School Culture and Wellness Team”;
Resolved further, That the District will compile a comprehensive list of positions that comprise the “Integrated School Culture and Wellness Team” and ensure that Principals, School Site Councils, Local School Leadership Councils, and Parent Councils are fully informed and educated about the roles, responsibilities, and ways these positions can contribute to supporting a positive school culture and student wellness; and, be it finally
Resolved, further, that the District will increase awareness of its goals related to student mental health and wellness, and school culture by sharing with the Local School Leadership Council, School Site Council, English Learner Advisory Committee, and other school-based decision-making bodies, a comprehensive list of positions that support these efforts; and by integrating topics such as social-emotional learning, mental health and wellness, and school culture into their meeting agendas and content;
Resolved further, That by August 2026, the District will develop a reference guide policy to ensure alignment, coherence, and effective coordination of existing school-site teams and structures, staff, and community partners responsible for student mental health, wellness, and school culture. The reference guide will define establishing Integrated School Culture and Wellness Teams at each school site with defined responsibilities that shall include, but not be limited to 1) being locally led and developed by the principal and staff, 2) being responsible for presenting school culture and wellness goal(s) to the Local School Leadership Council, School Site Council, English Leadership Council, and other school-based decision-making bodies at the beginning and end of each school year for discussion and assessment; and 3) meeting at least three times annually to review progress and develop strategies to achieve their established goal(s)
Resolved, further, That the District will increase awareness of the role of SOSAs with supporting school culture, implementing PBIS/RP and MTSS-aligned practices, and will assist schools and principals with understanding how they can connect with their SOSAs for support with strengthening their existing school-site teams; and, be it finally
Resolved, That schools will be encouraged to post their annual goals related to student wellness, social-emotional development, mental health, and school culture on the School Dashboard.