October 2015 State Council Meeting Minutes

Interstate Compact
on Educational Opportunity for Military Children
California State Council
General Business Meeting

October 27, 2015

California Department of Education
1430 N Street
Videoconference Room 3102
Sacramento, CA 95814-5901 

State Council Members

Members Present:

Jerry Dannenberg, State Council Member; Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner; Jacie Ragland, State Superintendent of Public Instruction (SSPI) Designee; Kelly Frisch, Department of Defense (DOD) Liaison Representative and Kelli May, DOD Liaison Representative, attended remotely via videoconference.

Members Absent:

Senator Marty Block or Designee; John Burns, Task Force Chairperson; Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin or Designee; Patricia Rucker, State Board of Education

Invited Participants:

Annie Arthur, Sylvia Crowder, David Kopperud, Monica Nepomuceno, Retha Goodly, Tuyet Truong

Welcome and Introductions

• Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee: Opened the meeting of the State Council for the Interstate Compact on Educational Opportunity for Military Children (State Council) at 1:04 p.m. at the California Department of Education (CDE) headquarters in Sacramento, and welcomed those present.

Approval of Previous Meeting Minutes

• Jerry Dannenberg, State Council Member: Made a motion to approve the minutes from the meeting on April 28, 2015, seconded by Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee. The State Council voted unanimously to approve the minutes.

Commissioner’s Update

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: Commissioners are preparing for the annual business meeting of the Interstate Compact Commission in Seattle in November. Bylaws will be discussed, and state athletic associations may become ex officio members of the Commission, since these associations are part of the State Department of Education in a few states. The Commission also is interested in working with the National Parent Teacher Association. The Commission has been in communication with the U.S. Army, and will discuss related issues at the national meeting.

• In some states, Commissioners change frequently, so there is a major training component. The National Commission is hitting its stride as people learn to understand the processes involved. The next meeting will be held in Seattle, Washington; the following year will be in Orlando, Florida. The National Commission will do advance planning and announce dates and locations for the following year at each annual meeting.

Commissioner’s Newsletter

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: The newsletter will be sent out in January and July of 2016, in place of meetings. Although four meetings are scheduled next year, newsletters may come out in lieu of meetings in January and July. 

Update on the Appointment of the Military Family Education Liaison

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: Received an answer back from the DOD indicating they are moving this project along. Someone from the Navy will be appointed as a military liaison.

Review of Draft State Superintendent of Public Instruction Letter Informing Schools
of the Compact and Their Responsibilities as a Member State

Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee: John Burns, Task Force Chairperson, developed a draft letter for school districts to inform them that California is a member of the Compact and also to explain what that involves.

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: Recommended adding a reference to the California Education Code.

• Jacie Ragland, SSPI Designee: It would be best to e-mail people attending remotely so they can comment on the contents of the letter.

Military Child Lobby Display Presentation

• Tuyet Truong, CDE Senior Graphic Designer: Presented suggestions for developing effective lobby displays. Stated that because visitors at CDE often pass through very quickly, it is best not to have too much text on display panels. It is best to focus on the graphic and text and provide an introductory paragraph telling how the subject matter is related to CDE.

• No more than 40 words are allowed per panel. Panels are about 14 x 24 inches and there are 10 panels on the display. The material on a panel can be used for other types of presentations. By placing material in separate panels, people can get more use out of their displays. Be direct and to the point. Handouts also can be made from the display material.

Student Mental Health and Wellness Presentation on
High Suicide Rates Among Military Children

• Monica Nepomuceno, CDE Mental Health Programs Consultant and David Kopperud, CDE Child Welfare and Attendance Consultant: Presented a PowerPoint presentation and shared information about student mental health:

• Monica Nepomuceno, CDE Mental Health Programs Consultant: We have wanted to speak to the group for a while. There is a lot of convincing to do out there, but people are starting to pay attention as a result of school shootings that have occurred. 

• Monica Nepomuceno, CDE Mental Health Programs Consultant: Showed a PowerPoint presentation showing that one-half of lifetime mental health issues begin by age fourteen, but only 20 percent of kindergarten through grade twelve students identified with mental health issues receive treatment. Others are unserved or inappropriately served.

• Among nine- to seventeen-year-olds, 21 percent have diagnosable mental or addictive disorders; 50 percent of students fourteen years and older drop out of school. Students often do not realize they are mentally ill, because the way they feel is normal for them.

• Sometimes when a child has mental health issues, their first encounter may be with a school staff member who criticizes them for being late. It is important that the staff member deal with the student supportively instead of criticizing. Sometimes the teacher will announce in front of others that the student is late again.

• Issues can arise as early as kindergarten. It is important for school staff to pay attention to the behavior, instead of just assuming the student is simply acting out. 

• Anyone who comes in contact with students throughout the day needs training to be aware when students are under stress. For example, seeing a parent be arrested can have a traumatic effect. Sometimes staff members automatically assume the student is unwilling or uninterested in getting to school when this is not the case.

• Only 40 percent of students with serious mental health issues graduate from high school, as compared to the national average of 76 percent.

• While adults accept that things can happen and people are not feeling well, students are expected to strive for perfect attendance at school.

• David Kopperud, CDE Child Welfare and Attendance Consultant: The California Healthy Kids Survey reports that more than 23.5 percent of military children reported suicidal ideation, as compared to 18 percent for other California youth. Having a parent leave for active combat is highly stressful for students.

• Monica Nepomuceno, CDE Mental Health Programs Consultant: Suicide is now the second leading cause of death between ten- and twenty-one-year-olds. Alcohol and mental health disorders often are co-occurring; extreme poverty and exposure to trauma often go together.

• The Mental Health Services Act (MHSA) of 2004 imposed a 1 percent tax on anyone who makes more than $1 million. The funds are to be used for mental health funding, with the idea of building a serve-first instead of a fail-first system.

• An example of an unmet need occurred in Roseville five years ago, when a young man who had been unable to get help lit a game store on fire. Now he is getting help in prison, but at a much higher cost than if his issues had been addressed earlier.

• Monica Nepomuceno, CDE Mental Health Programs Consultant: Encouraged members to attend MHSA meetings. The funds for MHSA programs does trickle down to schools and can be used to provide services. The CDE had $3 million to use, and helped develop Training Educators through Recognition and Identification Strategies training for teachers with California Mental Health Services Authority funds and also was able to convene the Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup (SMHPW).

• The CDE’s job is to provide information about how to get funding and find training for mental health services. There is a misconception that students with mental health issues automatically end up in special education classes, but that is incorrect. The CDE receives money only for the program, not staff; funding has dropped from $500,000 to a little more than $100,000.

• Monica Nepomuceno, CDE Mental Health Programs Consultant: The SMHPW is composed of mental health professionals who are attempting to advance the needs of students. The group meets quarterly and has made four recommendations to the SSPI. The first recommendation was to help get mental health training into credential programs for teachers and administrators.

• David Kopperud, CDE Child Welfare and Attendance Consultant: The California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) already has added training for administrators and now is considering adding this training to teacher training programs.

• Monica Nepomuceno, CDE Mental Health Programs Consultant: The Minnesota teachers and administrators have to take a one-hour course each year to refresh themselves on mental health issues.

• David Kopperud, CDE Child Welfare and Attendance Consultant: The SMHPW also put forward a recommendation that was added to school safety plans, recommending that crisis training be part of each school’s plan.

• Monica Nepomuceno, CDE Mental Health Programs Consultant: Suicides usually occur on a weekend or Monday morning, and school staff scrambles to figure out how to deal with it with students. Training will help staff to be better equipped to handle these issues.
  

Public Comments

There were no members of the public present at the meeting.

Adjournment

• Kate Wren Gavlak, Commissioner: Adjourned the meeting at approximately 4:00 p.m.