Medford Among 15 Districts Selected For National Collaborative

MEDFORD, MA — The Medford Public Schools has been selected for the National Center for Safe Supportive Schools' first learning collaborative to promote increased mental health access, particularly trauma counseling, in districts.

"We are so pleased to announce that Medford has been selected as one of only fifteen school districts in the nation to participate in the collaborative, which will help us as we strive to provide social emotional support and trauma counseling to our students," Superintendent Marice Edouard-Vincent said.

The goals of NCS3 partners are to address critical gaps by:

• Integrating and aligning trauma-informed policies and practices into comprehensive school mental health systems nationwide
• Augmenting existing school trauma approaches by attending to social determinants and injustices that lead to disparities and improving engagement of Black, Indigenous and Youth of Color and newcomer (immigrant/refugee) youth in existing trauma EBPs
• Integrating trauma-informed training into pre-service workforce development for educators and behavioral health providers

Stacey Schulman, director of School Counseling and Behavioral Health, applied for this initiative to help Medford implement a comprehensive school mental health program that is culturally responsive and offers trauma-informed policies and practices that promote equity and well-being.

"In Medford, we are always striving to provide the best care, with the most current practices, to our students," Schulman said. "With the need for mental health care higher than ever, we want to ensure we are supporting students with high quality practice. The guidance from this learning collaborative is incredibly valuable, and I am thrilled we have been selected."

The other school districts selected for this collaborative include:

• Casa Grande Elementary School District, Arizona
• Norwalk-La Mirada Unified School District, California
• Red Clay Consolidated School District, Delaware
• City Schools of Decatur, Georgia
• Bloom Township District 206, Illinois
• Queen Anne’s County Public Schools, Maryland
• Minneapolis Public Schools, Minnesota
• Manchester School District, New Hampshire
• Rancocas Valley Regional High School District, New Jersey
• Lansingburgh Central School District, New York
• Granville County Public Schools, North Carolina
• Grand Forks Public Schools, North Dakota
• Easton Area School District, Pennsylvania
• Vidor Independent School District, Texas