Board hears first readings on mental-health and dual-enrollment policies

The Santa Paula Unified board reviewed two policy first readings: an update to BP 5141.5 on youth mental health and a new BP/AR 6172.1 on concurrent enrollment and CCAP pathways.

Dr. Santamaria presented the mental-health policy changes drawn from CSBA guidance, including youth mental-health first-aid training for certificated staff, language on referral protocols and telehealth, and a suggested baseline that 40% of classified employees with direct student contact receive behavioral-health training. Trustee questions focused on whether independent-study students would have access to services and whether 40% is intended as a minimum baseline; Dr. Santamaria said the 40% figure came from the CSBA update and that Ed Code alignment was the objective.

Director Dira presented the concurrent-enrollment draft, which lays out processes for approval so that students may take local community-college courses for both college and high-school credit, and incorporates College and Career Access Pathways (CCAP) for courses offered during the school day. Both items were presented as first readings for future action; no final policy votes occurred at the meeting.