BROCKTON - Student mental health has become a rising concern for schools across Brockton and across the country , according to multiple officials from Brockton Public Schools over the past few school years.
This week, Brockton students completed the Social Emotional Learning Self Screening , a self-reported survey administered by the school district that will measure student’s social skills and emotional needs. The survey will help school staff understand what the specific concerns are for Brockton students and how schools can help kids who are struggling.
“We really wanted to get the student voice of those students that may have internalized conflicts or they’re wrestling or struggling with some things that are internalized that they wouldn’t otherwise bring up to a trusted adult,” said John Snelgrove, director of social and emotional learning for BPS.
Students in grades 3 to 12 will participate in the online survey, which consists of 35 questions and takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. Parents can have their students opt out of the screening by contacting their school’s principal.
Snelgrove said it will assess the students’ skills related to self-management, social awareness, self-awareness, relationships and responsible decision-making. The survey will also address internal and external behaviors that could present concerns.
“This gives us the opportunity through this medium to capture their voice, and then once that's identified how can we better help these children,” he said.
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What is the screening?
Each school principal in the district will decide how and when the screening, which is called the SSIS Brief + Mental Health Scales , will be administered throughout the week. The survey is available in English and Spanish and questions can be read aloud to kids.
Snelgrove said that 20 of the questions address social awareness skills while 15 questions address behavioral patterns and possible mental health concerns .
"All of this information will just better help us meet the needs of our students," Snelgrove said. "But we need to hear from them."
The questions are straightforward and "benign," he added. BPS declined to provide a list of the survey questions to The Enterprise, but Snelgrove said examples include "I ask for help when I need it" and "I stay calm when dealing with problems."
Students will respond to the prompts with one of four choices: not true, a little true, a lot true, very true. The scores will be tallied together to measure the student's overall score, according to a guide on the website of the company that developed the screening.
Where will the data go?
After students complete the survey, the results will be sent within two weeks from the screening company to the leadership teams from each school building, who will analyze the individual results to see which students need more help, and what resources the whole school might need.
If any responses from a student are of particular concern, the school's individual support team (STI) comprised of building administrators, school nurses and adjustment councilors will contact the parents and discuss how to move forward.
"I must stress that will be inclusive of parents direction and collaboration," Snelgrove said. "We will be very sensitive with that information and work closely with parents."
District leaders will also analyze the results on a larger scale to see what supports are needed in all middle schools or all third-grade classrooms, for example.
Parents can opt-out
Parents can have their students opt out of the screening by contacting the school's principal. Snelgrove and Brockton School Committee members said they hope all students will compete the screening.
"I know a lot of parents are not going to go for it because it's very taboo to deal with emotional and mental health in that community," said School Committee member Ana Oliver. "I hope a lot of parents would seek this and allow their kids to participate in this questionnaire."
This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton students complete self-screening surveys assessing social skills, emotional needs
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