Core Components

of a School Responder Model
Cross-System Collaboration

The active participation of law enforcement, schools, service providers, and families to implement a robust, cross-systems team is essential to structuring a successful school responder model.
Family and Youth Engagement

Family engagement is essential in improving the wellbeing of students and schools, and leads to positive impacts on a student's behavior, social skills, and graduation rate
Behavioral Health Response and Implementation

A school's behavioral health response follows three steps that involve a range of school-based and community-based personnel. The steps cover population identification, screening, assessment, and treatment services.
Policies and Formal Structures

Equipping school responder models with effective policies and rules will ensure the structure’s preparedness and sustainability during times of change, such as leadership and staff transition.

Guiding Principles

for a School Responder Model
Restorative Approaches

Restorative approaches provide opportunities for educators and administrators to reduce disciplinary inequities and build positive school climates and cultures.
Trauma-Informed Practices

Trauma-informed and trauma-sensitive schools are ones in which all levels of school staff can recognize trauma responses, appropriately respond to students who have experienced trauma, provide services, and reduce juvenile justice system involvement.
Wellness and Self-Care

As educators’ stress levels rise, it is increasingly important that schools and organizations prioritize self-care and wellness among staff. The stress of working in schools can have serious outcomes on staff.
School-Community Alignment

School-community alignment involves including students, their families, and the community in school policies.  This collaboration creates an ecosystem that supports students with behavioral health conditions.