City and district outline joint mental-health, SRO and restorative programs to keep students in school

City Manager Harold Dominguez and Superintendent Don Hadad described a joint approach to safety and student mental health that pairs expanded clinical staffing with law-enforcement and restorative-justice programs.

Harold described creation of a mental-health "center of excellence" to coordinate multiple city and county services, and said the city is adding clinicians, including a clinician dedicated to a recent 85-unit permanent supportive-housing property the city operates. He and Don highlighted partnerships with the Recovery Cafe, the Rewind program (a school-based pre-file restorative program with municipal court partners) and school resource officers to intervene early and keep students in school.

District leaders said they increased counselors and interventionists and train staff in social-emotional curricula to reduce discipline incidents and improve graduation rates. Don said the district's on-time graduation rate is about 93.3% and preliminary numbers may exceed 94%, and he contrasted that with prior higher dropout rates as evidence the district's approach is yielding results.

Officials also discussed operational data-sharing tools and pilot programs that embed clinicians and additional SROs in schools to provide rapid response and family connection. City staff said new camera and video-management systems are reducing call volumes in targeted areas and shortening case resolution times.

Why it matters: Officials framed coordinated mental-health and safety services as preventive investments that keep students in school and out of the justice system while connecting families to treatment and housing supports.

What’s next: City and district staff will continue pilots, pursue regional data-sharing and evaluate staffing and placement of clinicians and SROs across schools and supportive housing locations.