Charlotte County Public Schools provides various trainings on student safety and support in order to enhance the capabilities of its staff. Available trainings include but are not limited to:
Mental Health Training for Staff
In Florida, quality mental and emotional health education has been identified as a high priority. Effective since the 2019/20 school year, statutes have been in place that require all districts to provide education to students in the following areas. In November of 2022, the 5-hour mental health education requirement was changed to encompass resiliency standards.
Resiliency Education (5 hours of instruction for students in grades 6-12).
Substance Use and Abuse Health Education (grades K-12)
Child Trafficking Prevention Education (grades K-12)
Mental Health Training for Students
Mental & Emotional Health Education
Charlotte County Public Schools uses a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) as a framework for problem solving using data based decisions to determine and deliver appropriate evidence-based mental health care assessment, diagnosis, intervention, treatment, and recovery services to students with mental health and/or co-occurring substance abuse diagnoses and to students at high risk of such diagnosis. The multi-tiered system is a continuum of supports and interventions that increase in intensity based on student need.
School-based mental health providers (i.e., school counselors, school psychologists, school social workers) are specially trained to integrate mental health prevention and intervention into the learning process. Strategies to improve the early identification of social, emotional, or behavioral problems or substance use disorders include the use of early warning systems by problem-solving teams. Early warning signs are a series of identifiers that predict that a student is less likely to graduate from high school (e.g., attendance, behavior, grades, etc). Increased involvement of school-based mental health staff on problem-solving teams will assist with expediting the referral process and receipt of mental health assistance/services.