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13 <br /> 1 Dr. Felder said that the initiatives are underway now and some are scheduled for next <br /> 2 year. She said those include identifying SEL curriculum for students. <br /> 3 Commissioner Richards said she would like to know what is in place now and what is <br /> 4 scheduled for next year, in detail and if that could be provided to the Commissioners later. <br /> 5 Sherita Cobb said that the presentation included what they are doing now and that next <br /> 6 semester they are looking to remain consistent in their social and emotional learning curriculum. <br /> 7 She said they want to find something that works for Orange County schools. <br /> 8 Commissioner Richards asked Dr. Charlos Banks of Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools <br /> 9 for similar information on the timeframe for their proposal. <br /> 10 Dr. Banks said that in 2020 the process was identified and included the SEL screener. <br /> 11 She said they also had in place curriculum for social emotion learning. She said they have also <br /> 12 had a collocated mental health service. She said that this includes youth first aid, crisis <br /> 13 prevention, and a district-wide training on resiliency. She said they implemented the mental <br /> 14 health specialist position in high school full time. She said they have been successfully able to <br /> 15 conduct the SEL readiness analysis. She said there is a comprehensive next steps report. She <br /> 16 said that all staff will complete mental health professional development. She said they are also <br /> 17 working on implementing a community wide engagement. She said there needs to be high <br /> 18 school learning curriculum identified to support students. She said it needs to be integrated in <br /> 19 academic instruction. She said that they are looking to expand the mental health support <br /> 20 specialist positions in the elementary and middle school levels. <br /> 21 Commissioner Hamilton asked each school district if they have a definition of social <br /> 22 emotional learning. She asked what the curriculum for social emotional learning looks like in <br /> 23 the schools. She asked if it would be for all students and if it would be a separate class. She <br /> 24 asked for an estimate of how many students fall into each tier. <br /> 25 Dr. Felder said that social emotional learning or SEL, is a process where they help <br /> 26 students gain and apply skills that help them manage their emotions, achieve goals, be able to <br /> 27 show empathy and make caring decisions. She said that SEL and academic achievement go <br /> 28 hand in hand. <br /> 29 Dr. Hamlett said that social emotional learning is explicitly taught and is embedded in the <br /> 30 instructional framework for the school district. She said that it is not a separate class but that it <br /> 31 is imbedded in the curriculum. She said they include relationship and soft skills that are needed <br /> 32 to interact with others. <br /> 33 Commissioner Hamilton asked if every classroom was doing this. <br /> 34 Dr. Felder said that every classroom is the goal. She said that she knows that it is a <br /> 35 deliberate focus from both districts to have it in every classroom. <br /> 36 Dr. Banks said an example is that morning classes start with morning gatherings and <br /> 37 check-ins before the lesson is started. She said that it provides an opportunity to give students a <br /> 38 voice so that teachers can attend to those needs. She said that social awareness is being <br /> 39 aware of the world around them and expanding that understanding of themselves and others in <br /> 40 their overall surroundings. She said that all learning is social and emotional. <br /> 41 Commissioner Fowler asked if things have become too academic. She said that <br /> 42 emphasizing social and emotional development is important before learning other things. She <br /> 43 asked how many vacancies are in the positions that Orange County and Chapel Hill Carrboro <br /> 44 have. <br /> 45 Dr. Felder said they have fifty-three vacant positions. She said the school system has <br /> 46 about 1,100 positions. She said that they started the school year with more vacancies than ever <br /> 47 before. <br /> 48 Commissioner Greene said the county funds were to be used for mental health or <br /> 49 achievement. She said she appreciated that Chapel Hill Carrboro City Schools proposal to <br /> 50 allocate 100% of the funds towards mental health. She said she was having trouble connecting <br /> 51 the Orange County proposal for salary increases to mental health, especially for positions that <br />