ALBANY -- Leaders from across Dougherty County School System schools and programs gathered recently to learn about district priorities for the 2023-2024 school year.
The theme, "The Way Forward: Wellness Centered" focused largely on the mental and behavioral health of students and steps the district is taking to support students who continue to feel the lingering effects of the pandemic and other stressors as they progress through school.
Kicking off the two-day conference at Monroe Comprehensive High School was a session of chair yoga from DCSS partner 229Yoga which was followed by a general session by Superintendent Kenneth Dyer who shared national and state data on how students are coping with the ripple effects from COVID-19 and data on how students locally have started to rebound academically at a faster pace than their counterparts across the state.
Dyer also spoke about programs and initiatives that will support students during the upcoming school year and beyond, including the awarding of a grant that will allow the district to hire 16 new social workers that will work with schools across the district. The other grant will allow the district to better support mental health efforts in elementary schools. These efforts all align with the district's third priority in its Strategic Plan, Social-Emotional Learning. The keynote speaker for the event was Ross Szabo, Wellness Director at the Geffen Academy at UCLA, author and mental health speaker and advocate, who shared his journey with mental health disorders and gave information on how to build a true mental-health culture in schools.
Following the keynotes, district and school leaders split into several breakout sessions focused on a wide range of topics including "Understanding Social Emotional Wellness and Our Role in SEL (Social-Emotional Learning)," "New Developments and Considerations for School Leaders in 2023-2024," and "NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Ending the Silence for School Staff."