HUSD Takes Proactive Approach to Ensure Students Thrive Academically and Emotionally 

To increase awareness of mental health challenges among young people, Higley Unified School District has implemented a Healthy Higley Wellness Initiative. This initiative is designed to provide community members in the Gilbert area with the resources needed to ensure students thrive academically and emotionally.

As part of Higley Unified School District's updated strategic plan, maximizing each student's academic and social-emotional growth is of the utmost importance.

HUSD has taken a proactive approach to ensure the District is providing resources to support the social-emotional growth of each student and the development of positive student behavior. To do so, HUSD has developed and implemented a K-12 comprehensive counseling program, with additional counselors available to all students. This increase in counselors includes the addition of one District led counselor to support the K-12 counselor group, three counselors to service all nine elementary schools, and a District behavior coach. This model enhances the ability for all students to fully utilize all the opportunities that are available to them related to emotional well-being.

The District has also improved its process of training employees, families, and students on social-emotional growth. This year's focus is resiliency, which includes proactive and preventative ways to overcome obstacles and develop positive life skills.

Additionally, the District is focusing on suicide awareness and drug prevention. One of the strategies the District is using to increase suicide awareness is through additional training for all school site employees. HUSD is currently developing and refining its process associated with Suicide Risk Management, which includes training K-12 employees with step-by-step guidelines to better help them observe concerning behavior and respond appropriately. Administrators have already received additional training on this process earlier this school year, but all K-12 employees will be trained with these additional steps starting in December 2022.