January 22, 2025 (Exploration & Adoption)
The Behavioral Health: Suspension & Expulsion Coalition, facilitated by HANDS in Autism® thru Indiana Dept of Education (IDOE) funding, kicked off their longitudinal work on January 22, 2025. The Coalition is comprised of 6 diverse districts that are representative of urban, suburban and rural demographics from north to south across the state. Coalition efforts center around a collaborative, community-informed approach to address behavioral health challenges in schools across Indiana with individually selected target areas (e.g., chronic absenteeism, parent engagement, low SES populations) per district. Targets were purposefully selected as proximal outcomes that distally impact suspension and expulsion.
Key highlights include:
- Schedule: The day began with networking, followed by an overview of the project, coalition-building activities (e.g., forming, storming, norming phases), and work on short- and long-term goals. The event concluded with reflections and next steps.
- Purpose: The coalition aims to develop a trajectory for behavioral health goals, including data collection, resource sharing, and decision-making pathways to reduce suspensions and expulsions.
- Approach: Using frameworks like Tuckman's stages of team development and Charting the LifeCourse (CtLC), the coalition encouraged participants to map resources, align goals, and ensure diverse representation.
- Next Steps: Participants will engage in monthly virtual meetings (February-May 2025) to refine strategies, gather field data, and enhance resource accessibility via an online portal.
This initiative seeks to create a sustainable infrastructure for addressing behavioral health by bridging research, policy, and practice gaps while fostering collaboration among stakeholders.
February 25, 2025 (Program Installation)
Summary of the 2025.02.25 IDOE PSYC Behavioral Health Coalition Meeting
Purpose of the Coalition
The Behavioral Health: Suspension & Expulsion Coalition aims to ensure Indiana youth receive the necessary mental and behavioral health support, ultimately reducing suspensions and expulsions. The coalition, led by Riley Children’s Health and the Indiana Department of Education (IDOE), focuses on:
- Addressing challenges related to suspension, expulsion, and chronic absenteeism.
- Developing decision-making pathways tailored to district needs.
- Establishing a sustainable, evidence-based coalition to share resources and strategies.
- Meeting Agenda & Key Discussions
- Coalition Agreements & Values
The Coalition reinforced collective agreements, including respect, engagement, open-mindedness, collaboration, and a student-centered approach.
Data Analysis (ALL Data Triangles)
Participants shared insights on key student behavioral trends, target groups, and unexpected findings. Integrated Support Star
Resource Mapping
Explored resource allocation and support systems to address gaps in behavioral health services.
Trajectory Toward Positive Outcomes
Defined visions for success and identified factors influencing long-term impact.
Next Steps & Implementation Timeline
January 2025: Initial coalition formation and goal-setting.
February–March 2025: Monthly virtual meetings to refine strategies, develop an online resource portal, and ensure diverse representation.
April–May 2025: Data analysis, review of alternatives to suspension/expulsion, and focus on sustainability.
The meeting emphasized the coalition’s role in bridging research, policy, and practice to improve student behavioral health outcomes.
March 11, 2025 (Program Installation)
Purpose
The meeting aimed to discuss the utilization of resources and tools to enhance parent engagement and connection, explore mental health components, and develop guidance documents for supporting students and families.
Key Points
Coalition partners explored, shared and applied areas pertaining to:
- Resource Utilization: Discussion on the use of the Department of Education's Learning Lab by teachers and administrators. Exploration of platforms for parent engagement and connection.
- Mental Health Components: Building mental health resources with colleagues. Developing avenues to disseminate information to parents and teachers.
- Coalition Information: Updating coalition information on the website, including purpose, values, agreements, and meeting summaries. Focus on trajectory activities and pathway building.
- Persona Development: Creating personas to target specific students or families for support. Mapping supports across life domains for these personas.
- Support Mapping: Identifying informational, emotional, and instrumental supports for families. Bridging gaps in resources and services.
- Community and Family Integration: Importance of integrating supports across the person, family, and community. Addressing socio-economic and educational impacts on families.
Next Steps & Implementation Timeline
April–May 2025: Data analysis, review of alternatives to suspension/expulsion, and focus on sustainability.
