School Safety and Mental Health & Wellness Targeted Support for High Need Areas and Populations

The Texas Education Service Center Region 16 (ESC16) will offer the Texas School Safety Project (TSSP), a program of trauma-informed, healing-centered interventions to improve school climate by connecting children in crisis with the resources and services they desperately need. ESC16 is the ideal organization to lead this initiative in rural northwest Texas because of their consistent leadership and success in procuring and implementing previous multidistrict solutions for Texas schools. TSSP will improve safety in schools across the Texas panhandle by providing a help app (the HELPme App) with embedded Crisis Text Line (CTL), 24/7/365 crisis monitoring, a brain development curriculum, and telehealth therapy to 38,375 children attending 43 school districts. Additionally, in the 10 smallest rural districts with no school counselor or therapy resources, ESC16 will add “counselor days” and in-app, student-directed, unlimited teletherapy for all students. ESC16 has secured partnership commitments from 42 school districts to implement this project.