Santa Clara CARES
Santa Clara Unified School District (SCUSD) prioritizes student mental health and well being. The district has a long-standing commitment to the well-being of students and staff. We recognize that when students experience a strong sense of belonging, connection, and relationships in their communities and schools, these protective factors lead to improved learning and success. The district is sharing these resources, expanding them, and providing an opportunity for the community to provide input into our strategic work around supporting student mental health and well-being and eliminating bullying.
To this end SCUSD offers a spectrum of mental health and wellness programs and supports which include licensed clinicians at each school site, wellness centers at secondary schools, substance abuse counseling, and ongoing parent/guardian outreach events. These resources are augmented by partnerships with community-based agencies, collaboration with county and state agencies and engagement with our school communities.
The district has renewed its ongoing commitment to a multi-faceted approach to mental health and bullying and to increasing efforts to promote mental health literacy, focusing on bullying prevention and engaging with the community to strengthen cultures of care.
Additionally, we are launching a way to incorporate the feedback of the many community organizations and individuals who have offered their thoughts and support as we continue to expand these critical activities in support of our students.
The SCUSD mental health and bullying prevention initiative is entitled “Santa Clara CARES” and highlights the critical components of our approach that include programming around our priorities of:
Compassion
Action
Responsiveness
Empathy
Support
Since the tragic suicide of one of our students, our mental health and student support teams have been hard at work supporting the peers, staff, and broader community of both Santa Clara High School and other impacted schools. The Center for Living with Dying and KARA have provided onsite counseling and mental health support. We also expanded our 24/7 virtual mental health support so that all secondary students can self-refer for individual counseling services, in addition to school-based support, coaching, access to mental health resources, group sessions, and so on. We consulted with local and national teen suicide experts who advised on our postvention plans and spoke to the complex and multi-faceted risk factors in children’s lives that can lead to self-harm and in supporting students’ mental health, particularly when they are in crisis.
![Support Services Available over the break]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1734639251/santaclarausdorg/tobzeibzmmmihiaboxwk/SantaClaraCARESEnglishHeader1.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1734639251/santaclarausdorg/tobzeibzmmmihiaboxwk/SantaClaraCARESEnglishHeader1.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1734639251/santaclarausdorg/tobzeibzmmmihiaboxwk/SantaClaraCARESEnglishHeader1.png","width":600}])
![Webinar TBH black and orange logo with speech bubble and santa clara CARES surrounded by clasped hands]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1734043929/santaclarausdorg/azi3nhwpluxkilcqacvk/SantaClaraCARES2.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1734043929/santaclarausdorg/azi3nhwpluxkilcqacvk/SantaClaraCARES2.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1734043929/santaclarausdorg/azi3nhwpluxkilcqacvk/SantaClaraCARES2.png","width":600}])
![Santa Clara CARES do hands clasping around text]([{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_1/v1733521527/santaclarausdorg/szi7qc6ombo0ify6ento/Santaclaracares-rev.png","width":256},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto,t_image_size_2/v1733521527/santaclarausdorg/szi7qc6ombo0ify6ento/Santaclaracares-rev.png","width":512},{"url":"https://resources.finalsite.net/images/f_auto,q_auto/v1733521527/santaclarausdorg/szi7qc6ombo0ify6ento/Santaclaracares-rev.png","width":600}])
The Santa Clara CARES plan is outlined in six categories, that augment current services and efforts, and example work is noted:
- 1. Continue with ongoing suicide postvention plans
- 2. Increase mental health and bullying prevention support for students, staff, and families
- 3. Increase professional learning for staff and families
- 4. Engage student voice
- 5. Review and update SCUSD suicide prevention policy
- 6. Expand school climate and culture efforts
1. Continue with ongoing suicide postvention plans
2. Increase mental health and bullying prevention support for students, staff, and families
3. Increase professional learning for staff and families
4. Engage student voice
5. Review and update SCUSD suicide prevention policy
6. Expand school climate and culture efforts
SCUSD is actively working to address mental health and bullying prevention through a combination of real-time support, wellness resources, community engagement, and ongoing planning and development of support. We invite the community to be part of the ongoing conversation. Our mental health and anti-bullying team can be reached at SantaClaraCARES@scusd.net for any questions, suggestions, or to express interest in serving on a workgroup or advisory group. We invite you to join us in building a network of support and services so that when any of our students are in crisis, they know how to get support in real-time and that their school and district are there for them.
“Our only business is children and youth and we want every young person and family in Santa Clara Unified School District to know that we have their back. Our team of mental health professionals has been hard at work ensuring that we have a robust network of support to catch any student who is in crisis. We also are working to ensure that every student and family knows how to access support so that we have a safety net to catch every child when they struggle. We invite you to be part of the solution with us by reaching out to our professional and caring staff at SantaClaraCARES@scusd.net.”
Superintendent Dr. Gary Waddell