An Illustrative Case Example in a K-12 School District: Considering Sustainable Mental Health Practices within Systematic, Equitable, and Collaborative Approaches

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Very thoughtful and thorough description and discussion of a case example of a K-12 School district implementing sustainable mental health practices using systematic, equitable and collaborative continuum of supports. I offer a few suggestions and questions that may help to improve this already well-written and organized article. 

Article title suggests the focus of the article is on the all grades consisting of K-12. However, the article seems to primarily focus on grades 6 to 12. May want to add more information about what's occurring at the elementary school level or revise the title of the article.

Not necessarily a suggestion, but more of a comment. Description of the school states that there is an "emphasis on small town values and traditions including faith, family and...". With a focus on faith, is it the assumption that all students are the same faith? Is there any allowance that students may be a different faith or non-believers? How is this communicated to students? Would recognizing diverse values promote a greater feeling of belonging amongst students? 

In the description of the Social and Emotional needs at the Tier 3 Level on p. 5, it would be helpful to know the average number, along with the minimum and maximum number of counseling sessions students had with the social worker.  In addition, it would be helpful to report the number of students who were not able to receive counseling from the social worker because the social worker did not have room in their schedule. Along with that, what happens to students when the social worker's schedule is completely filled? 

On the bottom of p. 5, the referral process is described. Nothing is stated about the parents who don't give consent for counseling/treatment? Do all parents consent? If not, can the author(s) describe what happens in that situation and/or include a statement saying that all parents or the majority of parents have given consent for their child to receive treatment. 

I'm also wondering if any other student group, in addition to EL students, need additional support? 

Lastly, I think a brief case study of a student's process/experience utilizing services at the Tier 3 level and the outcome of receiving services can help illustrate the model and its impact on students. 

Kudos to this school district for recognizing the increased social-emotional  and mental health needs of their students and working hard to put an approach in place that offers systematic, equitable, and collaborative continuum of supports. This article offers valuable information for other school districts who may want to offer similar services. 

Author Response

Thank you for your feedback. Please see the attachment for our responses to each comment. 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

I appreciate the focus of this paper and sustainability and the unique case study approach that is taken, especially as many schools/districts are grappling with the influx (and outflux) of ESSR funds. Some areas for improvement include: 

1. When the three focal principles are being introduced, the grammar could be improved. The authors write, "“We will describe how the district addressed systematic, equity, collaboration...". Systematic not being a noun throws off the sentence in terms of what is actually being addressed. I would recommend something like the following: 

"We will describe how the district addressed XXXX systematically, equitably, and collaboratively...." or "We will describe how the district addressed the themes of  systematic, equitable, and collaborative in their implementation of XXX" 

2. The Methods section provides information regarding the school context, but not information regarding the case study methodology. What type of information was gathered and how was it synthesized to inform the case study? It’s OK if it is more qualitative and descriptive or based on meetings and documents, but the methods section is lacking description in how the case study was actually conducted methodologically. How was it determined that each of the data points within each section were considered systemic, equitable, and collaborative? I would recommend the authors connect their methodological and analytic approach to literature on case study methodology. 

Author Response

Thank you for your feedback. Please see the attachment for our responses to each comment. 

Author Response File: Author Response.docx