Resolution No. 2019-40 Adopting a Mental Health Plan for Don Soffer Aventura High School - July 18, 2019 RESOLUTION NO. 2019-40
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE CITY OF
AVENTURA, FLORIDA, ACTING IN THEIR CAPACITY AS THE BOARD
OF DIRECTORS FOR THE DON SOFFER AVENTURA HIGH SCHOOL,
ADOPTING A MENTAL HEALTH PLAN FOR THE DON SOFFER
AVENTURA HIGH SCHOOL; AUTHORIZING THE EXECUTION OF
NECESSARY DOCUMENTS; AND PROVIDING FOR AN EFFECTIVE
DATE.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE CITY COMMISSION OF THE
CITY OF AVENTURA, FLORIDA, THAT:
Section 1. The establishment of the Don Soffer Aventura High School Mental
Health Plan, as attached hereto, is hereby adopted by the City Commission of the City
of Aventura, Florida, acting in their capacity as the Board of Directors for the Don Soffer
Aventura High School.
Section 2. The City and School officials are hereby authorized to execute the
Mental Health Plan for the Don Soffer Aventura High School, in substantially the form
attached hereto, and to do all things necessary to carry out the aims of this resolution.
Section 3. This Resolution shall become effective immediately upon its
adoption.
The foregoing Resolution was offered by Commissioner Mezrahi, who moved its
adoption. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Narotsky, and upon being put to
a vote, the vote was as follows:
Commissioner Dr. Linda Marks Yes
Commissioner Gladys Mezrahi Yes
Commissioner Marc Narotsky Yes
Commissioner Robert Shelley Absent
Commissioner Howard Weinberg Yes
Vice Mayor Denise Landman Yes
Mayor Enid Weisman Yes
City of Aventura Resolution No. 2019-40
PASSED AND ADOPTED this 18th day of July, 2019.
ENID WEISMAN, MAYOR
e °6 5%&
ATTEST:
___
ELLISA L. HORVAT , C
CITY CLERK
APPROVED AS TO LEGAL SUFFICIEN, Y:
V-11 M\/
CITY ATTORNEY
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Don Soffer Aventura High School MSID#13-7026
Don Soffer Aventura High School
MSID#13-7026
Mental Health Assistance Plan
Updated June 2019
Don Soffer Aventura High School recognizes the connections between mental health and student
academic performance. Our teachers help to support mental health in the classroom by being
culturally sensitive, creating awareness and supporting students based on their individual needs.
Don Soffer Aventura High School is committed to increasing access to mental health supports for
its students. Don Soffer Aventura High School's mental health team guides and monitors this
plan's implementation. Regularly scheduled meetings of the team provide a forum for
professional collaboration and allow for monitoring of screenings, referrals, interventions, and
student progress.
DELIVERING EVIDENCE-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES THROUGH A MULTI-TIERED SYSTEM
OF SUPPORTS
Tier 1: Promotion and Prevention
For students: Don Soffer Aventura High School's curriculum will infuse social emotional
learning and character education, which may include such topics as self-management,
self-awareness, responsible decision-making, relationship skills, and social awareness, as
examples.
For staff: Don Soffer Aventura High School's employees will receive professional
development to encourage positive attitudes and competency in mental health and
substance abuse awareness.
Tier 2: Promotion and Prevention Using Small Groups, Embedded Strategies and Targeted
Support for Identified Students
Don Soffer Aventura High School will support students through the use of small groups to
teach self-regulation,improve social skills and provide an opportunity for peer mentoring,
as some examples. Don Soffer Aventura High School will enter into collaborative
partnerships with community mental health providers and agencies. When students are
identified as needing additional support through appropriate referral and screening
processes, Don Soffer Aventura High School will refer students and families to those local
providers and agencies for targeted mental health interventions.
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Don Soffer Aventura High School MSID#13-7026
Tier 3: Promotion, Prevention and Intervention to Decrease Symptoms
Don Soffer Aventura High School will secure licensed mental health providers who will
work on site to provide evidence-based mental health interventions and services to
students requiring individualized, intensive counseling and support. Cognitive Behavioral
Therapy (CBT) and Trauma Focused CBT will address affective/emotional,
cognitive/thinking-based, and behavioral problems. For students with substance abuse
issues, interventions may include a focus on developing and employing coping skills and
psychoeducation through the use of Seeking Safety to address substance abuse.Students
receiving tier 3 interventions will have individual treatment plans,which will be reviewed
regularly and adjusted based on progress monitoring data.
EVIDENCE-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES FOR STUDENTS WITH ONE OR MORE CO-
OCCURRING MENTAL HEALTH OR SUBSTANCE ABUSE DIAGNOSES AND STUDENTS AT RISK OF
SUCH DIAGNOSES
As referenced above, Don Soffer Aventura High School will secure licensed mental health
providers, which may include a Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Licensed Clinical Social Worker
and/or Licensed Mental Health Counselor/Substance Abuse Counselor. These professionals will
provide evidence-based mental health and substance abuse interventions. At-risk students will
be identified using screening and assessment procedures described below.
STAFFING OF SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES PROVIDERS TO REDUCE STAFF-TO-
STUDENT RATIOS AND MEET STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH ASSISTANCE NEEDS
Don Soffer Aventura High School will secure licensed mental health providers who will work on
site for a total number of hours commensurate to a minimum of 90% of the school's mental
health assistance allocation to meet the mental health assistance needs of our students. Don
Soffer Aventura High School will maximize third-party billing opportunities, through Medicaid
and commercial insurance, when applicable, to allow for increased financial resources to allow
for expanded provider service schedules and a reduction in staff-to-student ratios.
STRATEGIES TO INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF TIME STUDENT SERVICES PERSONNEL SPEND
PROVIDING DIRECT MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
Don Soffer Aventura High School's screening process will allow the school to be able to identify
students who are at the greatest need of intervention. Using a multi-tiered system of supports,
Don Soffer Aventura High School is able to allocate resources based on student needs. Students
who are identified as needing Tier 3 interventions will have the greatest number of touchpoints
by student services personnel,followed by those identified as needing Tier 2 supports. Students
at the Tier 1 level will benefit from school-wide social-emotional programming and monitoring
by their teachers who will receive training on mental health awareness and how to recognize
student warning signs. As members of Don Soffer Aventura High School's mental health team,
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Don Soffer Aventura High School MSID#13-7026
student services personnel will also participate in discussions regarding student screening,
referrals, intervention, and progress which will further guide how student services personnel will
allocate their time. As stated above, Don Soffer Aventura High School will also maximize third-
party billing opportunities, to provide additional funding to allow for expanded provider service
schedules which will then increase the amount of time student services personnel spend
providing direct mental health services to our students.
CONTRACTS/INTERAGENCY AGREEMENTS WITH LOCAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROVIDERS TO
PROVIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SERVICES ON OR OFF THE SCHOOL CAMPUS
Don Soffer Aventura High School has established an agreement with a local behavioral health
provider to support the behavioral health needs of our students. The agreement affords our
students the opportunity for screening, evaluation, treatment planning, small group and/or
individual services, and progress monitoring. The agreement also provides for classroom
functional behavior assessments. Additionally, Don Soffer Aventura High School will continue to
expand upon its relationships with other behavioral health providers in the community.
PROCEDURES TO ENSURE TIMELY ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT
Don Soffer Aventura High School's licensed mental health provider records all referrals for
school-based assessments in a secure, cloud-based system. The system will populate the 15 day
requirement for assessment and the follow up 15 day requirement to initiate school-based
services. This system will send notifications to appropriate personnel at benchmarked dates to
ensure that these deadlines are adhered to. A report will be run monthly to ensure that no
students are out of compliance with these requirements. If a student or the family is not-
responsive after multiple attempts to make contact to initiate consent for assessment and/or
service initiation, this will be noted as a means to document any compliance concerns with the
timelines. For community-based providers, the collaborative partnership agreement will reflect
an understanding that services are to be initiated within 30 days of referral and that Don Soffer
Aventura High School's mental health liaison will be contacted when the provider makes initial
contact with the family. Assuming that the family signs a mutual consent to allow for information
to be shared between the provider and the school,the referral provider will be required to share
assessment date and initiation of services date with the mental health liaison as well. The mental
health liaison will maintain this information and review it on a monthly basis.
COORDINATION OF MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES WITH PRIMARY MENTAL HEALTH CARE
PROVIDER OR OTHER MENTAL HEALTH PROVIDERS
During the enrollment process, Don Soffer Aventura High School will collect data from the
parent/guardian of the student regarding any mental health services the student receives outside
of the school. In addition, parents/guardians will be asked to share contact information for the
student's primary mental health care provider. Parents will be asked to sign a mutual release
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Don Soffer Aventura High School MSID#13-7026
form to allow our mental health team to discuss applicable information with those providers.The
Don Soffer Aventura High School team will initiate contact with the external providers to
coordinate supports for students.
STRATEGIES OR PROGRAMS TO: REDUCE THE LIKELIHOOD OF AT-RISK STUDENTS DEVELOPING
SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL OR BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS; DEPRESSIONS; ANXIETY DISORDERS;
SUICIDAL TENDENCIES;SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS;IMPROVE THE EARLY IDENTIFICATION
OF SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL OR BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS OR SUBSTANCE ABUSE DISORDERS;
IMPROVE THE PROVISION OF EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES;AND ASSIST STUDENTS DEALING
WITH TRAUMA AND VIOLENCE
Screening/Assessment
During the first year of plan implementation, Don Soffer Aventura High School will utilize a
universal screening process for all students that will identify indicators for students with or at-
risk of having or developing mental health or substance abuse issues. In subsequent years, new
students and students in designated grade levels will participate in screening. This screening
process will allow Don Soffer Aventura High School to identify students in need of Tier 2 and/or
Tier 3 interventions. For students in need of these targeted/intensive interventions, additional
screening and/or assessment may occur. Examples of instruments may include the CDC's Adverse
Childhood Experiences (ACEs) Survey, Beck Youth Inventory, Family Inventory Assessment or
others at the discretion of the mental health team.
Coordinated System of Care
As part of the assessment process, Don Soffer Aventura High School will collect data from the
parent/guardian of the student regarding community mental health services the student
receives. Parents will be asked to sign a mutual release form to allow our mental health team to
discuss applicable information with the agency. This team will initiate contact with the external
provider to coordinate supports for students.
Don Soffer Aventura High School's mental health providers will be required to establish a
collaborative partnership with community-based mental health/substance abuse treatment
agencies. Should a student require additional or more specialized treatment (psychiatric care,
medication management, Baker Act, etc.), Don Soffer Aventura High School will refer to these
community-based agencies following their procedures.
All school staff will receive training on mental health awareness and how to identify warning signs
of mental health concerns, substance abuse and childhood trauma. Don Soffer Aventura High
School has also partnered with a third-party agency which has developed suicide/self-harm
protocols for the school to follow, in addition to district required procedures. Training
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Don Soffer Aventura High School MSID#13-7026
components for staff includes Don Soffer Aventura High School's referral process to allow
students of concern to be brought to the attention of the school's mental health team.
Don Soffer Aventura High School's mental health team will meet regularly. At these meetings,
the team will discuss screening results, students in need of referral, status updates of students
currently receiving interventions,concerns/challenges/successes noted by members of the team,
as well as additional actions requiring further follow up.
The school will utilize a multi-tiered system of supports as previously described to meet the needs
of our students. Based on the results of the screening process conducted by Don Soffer Aventura
High School, students in need of tier 2 or tier 3 intervention will be identified and referred to the
school's mental health/substance abuse providers and/or community partners.
Don Soffer Aventura High School will also establish a collaborative partnership with community-
based mental health/substance abuse treatment agencies. Should a student require additional
or more specialized treatment (psychiatric care, medication management, Baker Act, etc.), Don
Soffer Aventura High School will refer to these community-based agencies following their
procedures.
EXPENDITURES&EXPENDITURE ASSURANCES
Number of school-based mental health Board Certified Behavior Analyst: 1
Licensed Clinical Social Worker/Licensed
providers funded by the allocation and
Mental Health Counselor/Licensed Marriage
licensure/certification for each
& Family Therapist: 1
Number of community-based mental health
providers funded by the allocation and 0
licensure for each
Don Soffer Aventura High School estimates that its 2019-2020 Mental Health Assistance
Allocation will be $4,486.00 (based on 200 students at $22.43 per student). The following
expenditures will be adjusted based on the proportionate share of the 2019-2020 allocation
passed through by Miami-Dade County Public Schools. Don Soffer Aventura High School's
estimated breakdown of expenditures is as follows:
Estimated Student Screening Costs $200.00
Estimated Costs for Board Certified Behavior
$403.74
Analyst
Estimated Costs for Licensed Clinical Social
Worker/Licensed Mental Health
$3,433.66
Counselor/Licensed Marriage & Family
Therapist
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Don Soffer Aventura High School MSID#13-7026
Estimated Indirect/Administrative Costs $448.60
Estimated Total Expenditures $4,486.00
Don Soffer Aventura High School provides assurance that 100% of the Mental Health Assistance
Allocation funds will be used to expand school-based mental health care; train educators and
other school staff in detecting and responding to mental health issues; and connect children,
youth and families with appropriate behavioral health services. Don Soffer Aventura High School
provides assurance that Mental Health Assistance Allocation funds do not supplant other funding
sources or increase staff salaries or provide staff bonuses.
Don Soffer Aventura High School's mental health providers will maximize use of other sources of
funding to provide school-based mental health services. Don Soffer Aventura High School will
seek Medicaid and commercial insurance reimbursement when applicable for allowable
expenditures with appropriate parental consent. Don Soffer Aventura High School may also
research additional opportunities for funding, such as grants.
PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION AND OUTCOMES
Number and ratio of FDOE-certified or
2 licensed, school-based mental health
licensed, school-based mental health services
providers secured by Don Soffer Aventura service providers
0.06 FTE
High School
Don Soffer Aventura High School's mental health team will utilize a recording system to maintain
and track data for the following indicators:
• Number of students at high risk for mental health or co-occurring substance abuse
disorders who received mental health screenings or assessments
• Number of students referred to school-based mental health services providers
• Number of students referred to community-based mental health services providers
• Number of students who received school-based interventions, services or assistance
• Number of students who received community-based interventions, services or assistance
This data will be reported to the state annually by September 30th of each year.
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David McKnight, PrincipalfRonald J. � 'sson, Board Chairperson
Don Soffer Aventura High School City of Aventura
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