Maryland roundtable prioritizes social‑emotional learning and staff supports as strategic plan focus

A statewide school‑staff roundtable hosted by the Maryland State Board of Education and the Maryland Department of Education focused participants on enabler 4 — social‑emotional learning, health, wellness and safety — and on practical steps needed to turn the strategic plan's priorities into classroom results.

Dr. Joanne Meeley McCarthy, a State Board member who opened the meeting, said the effort is intended to be “our Maryland's strategic plan for our children,” not a board or department plan alone. Dr. Sylvia Lawson, deputy superintendent of organizational effectiveness, reviewed phases 1 and 2 of the plan and the engagement that informed it, noting the blueprint legislation passed in 2021 and that the plan’s final phase will identify flagship programs and strategies.

Lawson reported the department’s engagement numbers for phases 1 and 2: “close to 28,000 responses” to the survey, nearly 7,000 stakeholders reached at events, 28 roundtables and more than 35,000 total connections. She also summarized the plan’s measurable goals, including increasing kindergarten readiness as measured by the KRA and raising grade‑3 English‑language‑arts proficiency, and said the blueprint funding is designed to span 10 years.

Participants — a mix of school counselors, social workers, principals, assistant principals, community school coordinators, speech‑language pathologists and other support staff from multiple Maryland districts — selected enabler 4 in a poll and then described what schools need to meet its goals. The enabler’s stated goal is “an increase in percentage of schools perceived as having a favorable learning environment and a decrease in suspension rate.”

School staff identified several recurring needs:

• Staffing: De'Andrea Jacobs, supervisor for the Office of Psychological Services in Baltimore County, and others said there is a critical shortage of school‑based clinical providers and recommended state and district incentives for recruiting and retaining psychologists, counselors and other specialists. Jacobs noted national recommended ratios (a counselor cited 1:250; a psychologist noted 1:500 with some schools effectively at 1:1,000) and said current capacity limits districts’ ability to offer direct services and preventive supports.

• Supports for newcomer and multilingual learners: Multiple speakers urged screening and linguistically appropriate mental‑health supports for students who recently arrived in the U.S. Nirelli Jabreaux, an English‑language‑development coach, said many newcomer students have experienced severe trauma and need ongoing, not just crisis, supports.

• Funding and sustained resources: Assistant principal Mallory Wright and others flagged uneven district budgets and the difficulty of sustaining programs year to year; several participants pressed for equitable access to SEL curricula and training across districts.

• Promising local practices and partnerships: Participants shared replicable practices, including community school events, summer health clinics, a DORS‑linked summer youth employment program for students with disabilities, and a Hazel telehealth partnership that allows students to consult remotely with medical or mental‑health providers on site with parental consent (described by school nurse Donald Granham).

• School culture and instructional integration: Principals and counselors emphasized that SEL must be woven into daily instruction — advisory periods, planned SEL lessons and restorative practices — rather than treated as an ad‑hoc response to crises. Several speakers described 'be well' rooms or cozy corners for students and staff to decompress, and urged time and training for teachers.

Participants described what success would look like: improved climate‑survey results, higher attendance and belonging, fewer suspensions, more school‑based mental‑health staff and equitable access to curricula and training. Jacqueline St. John and other Pupil Personnel Workers said success would also show in increased family engagement and more mentors in schools.

The roundtable also surfaced urgent local concerns: several participants reported long wait lists for school‑based providers, limited mental‑health services for middle‑school students, and community issues such as fentanyl exposure; one participant described nurses saving children from overdoses and urged broader training and availability of naloxone.

Lawson closed by thanking participants and viewers, reiterating that the State Board and MSDE will continue engagement into phase 3, and encouraging staff and other Marylanders to complete the strategic‑planning survey at marylandpublicschools.org/forward/survey. She said phase 3 will finalize flagship programs and the department aims to release the full strategic plan in June 2023.

What happens next: MSDE will use the roundtable input as it defines flagship strategies and implementation supports in phase 3. Staff called for specific follow‑up items — staffing incentives, expanded telehealth and community partnerships, targeted supports for newcomer students and a plan to ensure SEL curricula and trainings are available equitably across districts — that MSDE can incorporate into implementation planning.