Social Emotional Supports

In efforts to address the social-emotional needs of students and families the Department of Students Support Services is implementing a Tele-Health Service Delivery Model (The use of digital technologies to deliver services by connecting multiple users in separate locations).

Counselors & Trauma Sensitive Clinicians

• KCPS School Counselors assigned to each school will contact each and every family for a whole child wellness check-in.
• School Counselors will make referrals to the Trauma-Sensitive School Clinician based on the Wellness Needs of the Students and Families.
• Students and Families in Need of Immediate Support for Social and Emotional Needs will be able to contact a Student Support Team Member through our support hotline numbers assigned to per school

Additional Supports

• KCPS focuses on the comprehensive well-being of all students, including physical, emotional and environmental safety.
• Through our Trauma Sensitive Schools Initiative, we are cultivating learning environments where students can feel respected and heard.
• School staff work with the Division of Student Support Services to identify students who may benefit from mental health support and/or interventions (Collective Impact Model). 
• KCPS uses a tiered funding model to direct more resources to schools where students are experiencing the most trauma. We have 15 Tier 1 schools, 5 Tier 2 schools and 12 Tier 3 schools. Our Tier 3 schools receive the highest level of interventions.
• The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly increased the need for school-based mental health services.
• KCPS has been hiring additional school counselors and clinicians to meet this growing need. For example, in the past, Lincoln College Preparatory Academy and Lincoln Middle School have shared a clinician. However, this year we have had more students experiencing anxiety, depression, grief and loss. In January, we assigned a full-time clinician to LCPA to help meet our students’ needs.
• KCPS works with a number of partners to provide school-based mental health services:
  • First Call: “Life Skills” sessions and substance prevention classes
  • #ZeroReasonsWhy: youth suicide prevention campaign
  • Center for Conflict Resolution: training and mediation
  • MOCSA: youth sexual assault prevention and education
• When our students’ mental health needs can be adequately addressed at school, we refer families to community-based mental health providers. However, there are often long wait times.
• When students are experiencing conflict with each other, families often want to know what consequences the other student will face. However, due to federal student privacy laws, we are usually limited in what discipline information we can share. We know this can be frustrating to families and look like inaction.
• KCPS has a Code of Conduct (available online in English, Spanish and Swahili) that provides an overview of the restorative justice and trauma-informed practices used in schools. However, for serious offenses, KCPS follows the Missouri Safe Schools Act.
• KCPS is in the process of developing an app that allows students and staff to report any safety concerns they have at school. We expect to announce this launch soon.

KCPS Trauma Sensitive Team

Behavior Health Manager - Travanna Alexander (816) 723-1355

School Name	Clinician	Contact Number	EXT	Email
Elementary School
African Centered	Angelique Tembo	(816) 309-6855	1273	atembo@kcpublicschools.org
Benjamin Banneker	Angelique Tembo	(816) 309-6855	1863	atembo@kcpublicschools.org
Border Star Montessori	Alicia Smith	(816) 423-9081	1700	asmith3@kcpublicschools.org
Faxon	Mohana Chakrabarti	(816) 304-1306	6527	mchakrabarti@kcpublicschools.org
Foreign Language Academy	Johanna Kelley	(816) 210-9211	6008	jkelley@kcpublicschools.org
Garfield	Christina Kohn	(816) 929-9147	3626	ckohn@kcpublicschools.org
George Melcher	Candice Wise	(816) 301-1557	6727	cwise@kcpublicschools.org
George Washington Carver
Gladstone	Johanna Kelley	(816) 210-9211	4007	jkelley@kcpublicschools.org
Hale Cook	Cole Griffin	(816)210-9043	6531	cgriffin2@kcpublicschools.org
Harold Holliday Sr. Montessori	Alicia Smith	(816) 423-9081	1700	asmith3@kcpublicschools.org
J.A. Rogers	Nicole Allan	(816) 294-5966	4778	nallan@kcpublicschools.org
James	Mohana Chakrabarti	(816) 304-1306	3741	mchakrabarti@kcpublicschools.org
John T. Hartman	Kenya Hicks	(816) 533-6922	1757	kanthonyhicks@kcpublicschools.org
Martin Luther King Jr.
Phillis Wheatley	Kelly Ewing	(816) 294-0243	4825	kewing@kcpublicschools.org
Pitcher	Candice Wise	(816) 301-1557	6727	cwise@kcpublicschools.org
Primitivo Garcia	Christina Kohn	(816) 929-9147	8777	ckohn@kcpublicschools.org
Success at Knotts	Lateisha Williams	(816) 213-2958	1927	lwilliams2@kcpublicschools.org
Trailwoods	Cole Griffin	(816) 210-9043	3283	cgriffin2@kcpublicschools.org
Wendell Phillips	Kelly Ewing	(816) 294-0243	3931	kewing@kcpublicschools.org
Whittier	Nicole Allan	(816) 294-5966	3858	nallan@kcpublicschools.org
Middle School Sites
Central Middle	Kiera Hylton	(816) 914-2049	2141	khylton@publicschools.org
Lincoln Middle	Jacqueline Brown	(816) 723-1353	1504	jbrown2@kcpublicschools.org
Northeast Middle	Elijah Watkins	(816) 210-9039	3458	ewatkins@kcpublicschools.org
Paseo Middle	Malena Binger	(816) 352-4000	2302	mbinger@kcpublicschools.org
High School Sites
East High	MacKenzie Even	(816) 226-8096	3150	meven@kcpublicschools.org
Central High	Kayla Neal	(816) 695-9153	2000	kneal@kcpublicschools.org
Lincoln High	Arica Miller	(816) 646-9843	3011	amiller1@kcpublicschools.org
Northeast High	Arlesha Pugh	(816) 305-5777	apugh2@kcpublicschools.org
Paseo High	Malena Binger	(816) 352-4000	2302	mbinger@kcpublicschools.org
Southeast High	Dorothy Patterson	(816) 668-7261	1317	dpatter1@kcpublicschools.org

KCPS partner Children's Mercy has released “Prepped and Ready: Experts Edition,” a series of free online (short) videos for caregivers of preteens and teens. “Prepped and Ready" aims to help caregivers learn steps to improve the health of safety of your children as they become teens.

 

Caregivers will learn tips for:

• Addressing vaping
• Preventing eating disorders
• Handling tough questions
• Suicide prevention
• Understanding how teens think
• And much more!

 

View the videos at childrensmercy.org/PreppedAndReady. Complete a pre and post survey after watching the videos to receive a free safety toolkit.