Superintendent Anne Hubbard of Hope Elementary School District, who served as a member of the task force, said the group included members from diverse school site roles including assistant principals, counselors and special education representatives. “School districts in California vary in size, type, funding levels, culture, and location, among a hundred other things,” Hubbard said. “The ability to collaborate with this multifaceted team allowed us to take this into account and not try to create a one-size-fits-all toolkit.”  The task force’s final report, released in January, highlights case studies from counties and other organizations and their efforts to provide effective crisis and trauma response, social-emotional learning and other services for both students and adults who work on school campuses. The toolkit also features resources such as information on student mental health assessments, professional development programs and curriculum sources designed to incorporate social and emotional learning in the classroom. “The hope is that the task force findings will help school leaders navigate the many, many resources for promoting mental health and help them identify additional resources when serious mental health issues arise,” Hubbard said. Another component of the task force’s final report is a series of policy recommendations for ACSA’s Legislative Policy Committee to consider. The recommendations call for streamlining service delivery with regional consortia and partnering with juvenile and family court systems, behavioral health organizations and law enforcement, among others. Hubbard said she hopes the findings and recommendations help state legislators understand the leading role schools are taking to address mental health, and ideally assist schools in their efforts to prioritize mental wellness. “We need funding for training staff, more counseling in schools, mental health curriculum and family outreach,” she said. “We also are advocating for more training in teacher and administrator preparation programs.”