San Benito County Office and San Benito County Behavioral Health Collaborate to provide Mental Health Services

Among the expansions of Behavioral Health services, San Benito County Office of Education (SBCOE) has collaborated with the San Benito County Behavioral Health Department (SBCBHD) to bring additional mental health services to students across the county.  The SBCOE and SBCBHD collaboration is helping to maximize district and county resources so that every student has access to mental health services when needed regardless of where they attend school. Together, the eleven public school districts and county office programs educate over 11,000 students each year.  For the past several years, San Benito County has seen an increase in the desire for mental health services. Parents, school staff and mental health providers are reporting an increase in student’s anxiety, depression and other behavioral health related issues.

Through grants and other specialized funding, schools have worked to provide additional school counselors, social workers and mental health therapists to address the growing need. The San Benito County Behavioral Health Department has also provided various mental health supports to schools, including substance abuse counseling and mental health therapy.  Despite the increase in services, the resources are often available only in the larger high school and middles schools, leaving smaller, rural schools and elementary students with less access to mental health services than students who attend larger schools. The partnership between the two agencies addresses much of the concerns for resource availability for every campus in the county. 

Although SBCBHD provides mental health services at their location on San Felipe Road, initial discussions between the two agencies determined that providing mental health services on school campuses would allow students to seek and receive services easier.  Because families often have strong relationships with school staff, SBCBHD began placing case managers, utilizing mental health prevention funds, at several school sites in the county in 2018, including SBCOE’s Alternative Education Programs.  Behavioral Health Case Managers work with school staff to identify students and then work directly with students and families at the school site. Case Managers provide guidance on how to handle difficulties students and parents may be facing and may link them directly to other appropriate mental health services if needed.  Case Managers provide general support but not therapy, which must be provided by a mental health clinician.  In March 2020, SBCOE and SBCBHD began a pilot program to provide mental health therapy to students at the school site through a Behavioral Health, Mental Health Clinician. The mental health clinician works directly with students to help identify alleviate any issues that may be affecting their educational and personal life. Although the program incurred limits due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it was successful and resulted in a full expansion of the program this fall.

In early September, SBCOE and SBCBHD met with districts to discuss mental health resources available at each school site and determine areas of highest need.  Based on that information, part-time Case Managers and Mental Health Clinicians have been placed on-site at schools in the county’s five largest districts and the Alternative Education Programs. The smallest six districts receive services on a rotational basis at least once each month, with emergency intervention available as needed. SBCOE and SBCBHD meet quarterly to monitor and adjust services based on the needs of the students and families at each school. Due to the current COVID limitations, as an interim option much of the planned behavioral health service delivery work is available through video and telephone linkage pending the ability to resume in-person on-campus interactions again.

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to share our November newsletter with you. Each month, we update you on programs, events and news in the county office and the districts we serve in San Benito County. In addition, we invite you to stay connected through our various social media platforms. We look forward to continuing to work with you and our students across San Benito County as we Engage, Encourage, Empower...Educate!

FALL IN LOVE WITH READING 2020!

¡ENAMÓRESE DE LA LECTURA 2020!

Superintendent Krystal Lomanto and the San Benito County Office of Education invite you to join us for our Footsteps2Brilliance Fall Reading Challenge! Between September 22 and December 21, we challenge each student to read 100,000 words and our entire county to read 1 million words! Families with children birth through 3rd grade can download the Foosteps2Brilliance app (and Clever Kids University apps) for FREE on their Apple or Android smartphones, tablets, or computers at https://www.myf2b.com/parent_wizard/get_started/SanBenitoCOE.

La Superintendente Krystal Lomanto y la Oficina de Educación del Condado de San Benito te invitan a ser parte del Reto de lectura para el verano de Footsteps2Brilliance. Entre el 22 de septiembre y el 21 de diciembre, ¡retamos a cada estudiante a leer 100.000 palabras y a todo nuestro condado a leer 1 millón de palabras!Las familias con niños desde infantes hasta 3er grado tienen la oportunidad de descargar gratis la aplicación de Footsteps2Brilliance en sus dispositivos inteligentes o tabletas de Apple o Android y computadoras en https://www.myf2b.com/parent_wizard/get_started/SanBenitoCOE.

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to share our October Newsletter with you. Each month, we update you on programs, events and news in the county office and the districts we serve in San Benito County. In addition, we invite you to stay connected through our various social media platforms.

We look forward to continuing to work with you and our students across San Benito County as we Engage, Encourage, Empower...Educate!

San Benito County Office of Education Hires School Social Workers

Through the Learning Communities for School Success Program (LCSSP) Grant, the San Benito County Office of Education has hired three School Social Workers to work with students across San Benito County.  The LCSSP Grant is the result of a consortium consisting of the San Benito County Office of Education, the Aromas San Juan Unified School District, the Hollister School District, and the San Benito High School District. The grant provides $1.47 million over three years.  Funds are used to address chronic absenteeism by identifying underlying social emotional issues experienced by many of our students.

School Social Workers Amit Bhandal, Cristal Guevara and Adriana Gallegos each have a Masters Degree in Social Work as well as a Pupil Personnel Services Credential which allows them to provide case management, counseling and therapeutic intervention for students and families focused on creating a positive learning environment.  They serve as members of the school crisis team to provide intervention to students and assess for safety.  In addition, they provide training and workshops to parents and school staff.

School social workers assess and identify factors that may affect a student’s learning and general wellbeing by consulting with parents, teachers and other school staff to find strategies for dealing with challenges related to social emotional and academic needs.  As part of the intervention team, they collaborate with school counselors, student services staff and with community based organizations to support student success and provide resources.  School Social Workers often conduct home visits and facilitate individual and group counseling sessions to address specific social, emotional, and behavioral needs of students.  Ultimately, the goal is to develop resiliency strategies and a positive self-concept so students can be successful in school.

Meet the School Social Workers Here

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to share our September Newsletter with you. Each month, we update you on programs, events and news in the county office and the districts we serve in San Benito County. In addition, we invite you to stay connected through our various social media platforms.

We look forward to continuing to work with you and our students across San Benito County as we Engage, Encourage, Empower...Educate!

The San Benito County Office of Education is committed to supporting San Benito County schools, staff, students and families throughout the emergency response to COVID-19 in California. This document, provided by the San Benito County Office of Education (SBCOE), is a culmination of considerations, ideas, information, and guidelines to support San Benito County school districts in developing district plans to re-open schools for the 2020-2021 school year. The San Benito County Office of Education has partnered with San Benito County Public Health as well as utilized information from the other California COE documents. More specific recommendations for schools will be provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, California Public Health, as well as our local Public Health Department.  The purpose of this plan is to be prepared to reopen the San Benito County Office of Education Early Childhood Special Education Center during the COVID-19 pandemic in order to address learning loss and provide continuity of instruction for all students.This plan describes protocols that will be followed in order to open our schools during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Because this is a dynamic situation, plans may change as new guidance is issued.

Click here to access the Reopening Plan for SBCOE Programs 

San Benito County Office of Education Announces 2019-20 Reading Results

July 23, 2020

Following Governor Gavin Newsom’s July 17 announcement, the San Benito County Office of Education has decided to begin the 2020-21 school year using a Distance Learning Model beginning on August 13. Information about the model is being sent to our families this week and we are working to ensure all students have access to technology by the start of school. 

Governor Newsom’s order, based on updated guidance from the California Department of Public Health, requires that all schools in counties on the California County Monitoring List, of which San Benito is one, to conduct distance learning until the county has been off the state’s COVID-19 monitoring list for 14 consecutive days.  The only exception is for schools who have already begun in-person instruction or who are granted a waiver. As a result, the only SBCOE program that will use in-person learning is our Juvenile Hall program. San Benito County Office of Education continues to work closely with the San Benito County Public Health Department, the California Department of Education and other state and local agencies regarding guidelines, protocols and safety measures to ensure staff and students remain healthy. 

Throughout the summer, SBCOE has been working with stakeholders to plan instructional delivery models and safety contingencies.  Although instruction will begin in a distance learning format in August, we have developed instructional models for full distance learning, hybrid/blended learning and fully in-person learning, which will allow our programs to transition between in-person and distance learning as necessary based on public health guidance. 

For more information about distance learning at a specific school, please contact your site administrator.

San Benito County Office of Education Announces Top Readers

The San Benito County Office of Education is proud to announce the Spring Footsteps2Brilliance Top 10 Readers in San Benito County.  Between March 16 and June 5, these students read a combined total of 3,266,602 words!

Name                                      School                                     Grade                          Word Total    

Eli Garcia                     Sunnyslope Elementary                      Kindergarten               630,973

Gabriel Garcia             Sunnyslope Elementary                      2^nd Grade                    513,049

Audrinna Tamez          Sunnyslope Elementary                      1^st Grade                     353,742

David Suarez               Hollister Dual Language Academy      1^st Grade                     352,104

Alex Garcia                  Calaveras Elementary                         TK                                276,007

Leeanne Gutierrez      Sunnyslope Elementary                      1^st Grade                     252,531

Jade Gutierrez             Sunnyslope Elementary                      2^nd Grade                    239,820

Tigerlily Roman           Gabilan Hills                                        Kindergarten               222,581

Logan Handi                Hollister Presbyterian Preschool        0 -3 years                    221,627

Andre Gomez              Hollister Dual Language Academy      1^st Grade                     204,168

Four years ago, SBCOE brought the Footsteps2Brilliance Literacy program to the county, providing access to every child, birth to 3^rd grade, who resides in San Benito county.  Our goal is that every child will read at grade level by 3^rd grade.  Footsteps2Brilliance is used in all elementary schools in San Benito county, which allowed students to easily continue the learning they had begun in the classroom at home when schools closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic in mid-March.

Footseps2Brilliance offers books, games and activities in English and Spanish for children from birth to 3^rd grade. In addition, a pre-reading and Learn-to-read program called Clever University are also available along with the recently added science feature.  The program can be downloaded on any electronic device and, once downloaded, no internet connection is needed. 

This summer, students can join our Summer Reading Challenge June 5-August 28.  To participate, students may use their current home/school account or register at https://www.myf2b.com/parent_wizard/get_started/sanbenitocoe.  Once registered, simply begin reading and learning on F2B!