Briarcliff Superintendent Presents at Mental Health Workshop

From Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District:

BRIARCLIFF MANOR, NY - Briarcliff Manor Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Kaishian and Board of Education Vice President Jan Fisher recently attended a Westchester-Putnam School Boards Association workshop focused on social and emotional wellness of students.

Fisher, who works as Westchester Jewish Community Services director of public affairs, served on the workshop’s panel. Dr. Kaishian joined his colleagues from Byram Hills, Ossining, Peekskill, Scarsdale and Valhalla, to discuss the high school faculty’s recent Youth Mental Health First Aid training, which helps teachers more easily identify at-risk students and direct them to school support services.

“I had a chance to highlight the work we are doing around youth mental health awareness,” said Dr. Kaishian, who thanked the Board of Education at the Oct. 17 meeting for its support of the primary intervention services that are offered in the district; including K-12 counseling, psychologists in each building, social workers in the middle and high schools, a student assistance counselor, the Varsity Athletes Against Substance Abuse program, orientations for new parents and students at each of the schools, advisory groups, peer mediation, student mentoring, response to intervention teams in each building and much more.

Dr. Kaishian also highlighted the secondary support systems in place, including the award-winning Habits of Mind program and the mindfulness initiative at Todd Elementary School.

He noted that 30 percent of students will at some point experience behavioral or mood disorders, such as anxiety or drug abuse.

“This analogy of first aid for students and mental health is a great one,” he said. “It’s wonderful to see that across New York State, and in Albany, people remember that students are actually children and the emphasis is returning to mental well-being in addition to academic performance.”

Photo Caption: Briarcliff Manor Superintendent of Schools Dr. James Kaishian recently presented at a Westchester-Putnam Schol Boards Association workshop focued on social and emotional wellness of students. He discussed the district’s ongoing youth mental health training for faculty.

Photo courtesy of the Briarcliff Manor Union Free School District.