Webinar Recap: Connecting the Dots Between Student Mental Health and School Safety

The webinar included the following helpful information and resources:

• An overview of Round Rock ISD’s Four Pillars of School Policing, which include: Safety and Security, Behavioral Health, Equity, and Student Advocacy.
• An in-depth exploration of the purpose of police in schools and some of the problems that have been associated with school policing in the past.
• A look at how behavioral health and safety are connected and an overview of how the district has positioned its social workers and behavioral health services as part of the police department.
• Review of the district’s focus on equity and how this is put into action.
• A case study exploring the impacts of the district’s policing model vs. a traditional SRO model vs. no police on campus using a real-life student mental health crisis.

In addition to the resources and strategies shared by Chief Yarbrough and Dr. Grosso, the webinar also included a brief introduction to Vector Solutions’ online staff training courses for K-12 schools focused on school safety and mental health topics, an overview of our online Student Safety & Wellness Courses for students in grades 6-8 and 9-12 and an introduction to the Vector LiveSafe Tip Reporting and Safety Communications Platform.