State Board approves Mental Health in Schools policy

 

On February 9, Michigan's state board of education approved a Mental Health in Schools policy that encourages the state's districts to integrate social emotional learning (SEL) across the curriculum. Michigan joins a growing number of states advancing SEL through statewide policy or legislation. 
 
Planners built in a strong emphasis on SEL after initially focusing on increasing student access to mental health services, said Lauren Kazee, a Michigan Department of Education consultant. Kazee helped a statewide steering committee develop the policy with support from a federal Safe & Drug-Free Schools grant.  
Implementation plans include a companion toolkit to help districts integrate SEL across the curriculum, and regional support from Intermediate School Districts, using staff who already help districts with coordinated school health.

Michigan is pursuing new federal funds to expand the initiative.