SEL director calls for expanded counseling training and data systems to address acute student needs

Anne Cordon, director of social‑emotional learning for Baboquivari Unified School District #40, reviewed the counseling and SEL accomplishments of the past three years and outlined a three‑year plan to strengthen prevention, intervention, crisis response and partnerships with behavioral‑health providers.

Cordon reported growth in online engagement with the district's parent guidance materials (from 68 to 279 active users and 166 to about 943 page views over one year) and highlighted top viewed topics such as substance‑abuse prevention and teen vaping. She emphasized that counseling systems need consistent referral and documentation practices and said the team will prioritize staff development, crisis planning, and collaboration with partners.

"We are not a psychiatric institution," Cordon said, "but we need more training and partners to help our most acute students." She described plans to expand training in suicide prevention, threat assessment, motivational interviewing and resiliency for counseling staff and to regularize referral data in the district system (Synergy/Transfinder transitions noted for data issues).

Board members thanked Cordon and suggested operational supports: a part‑time administrative assistant to help counselors enter referral data and invitations for board members to attend training sessions to better understand programs. A board member noted that 12th graders received QPR suicide‑prevention training and recommended continuing peer‑mentoring supports.

Cordon said some program elements (mind and body medicine groups, Ready for Life) have been funded by grants and community partners and that future expansion will depend on securing partners and grant funding. The board did not adopt new policy or allocate new funds during the retreat; members asked staff to continue refining data collection and training plans for the coming year.