South Jordan Middle School Prevention Plan

Our school’s mission:

The South Jordan Middle School community is committed to improving student learning by:

• Creating a safe and respectful environment
• Providing a challenging curriculum
• Addressing the diversity of middle school learners
• And fostering individual responsibility.

Prevention Plan Overview

South Jordan Middle School is committed to providing equitable services to all students.  While working with the School Community Council, Parent-Teacher-Student Association, faculty and staff, and community partners, we strive to create a culture of courage, kindness, and respect.

Our school prioritizes prevention by offering support and services to our students and their families. Some of our everyday efforts, the systems and strategies for supporting our students, are listed below:

• Our school administration, counseling team, and school resource officer meet weekly to discuss and address individual student needs
• Our school uses designated intervention time to address student academic, social, emotional and mental health needs
• Our school provides a wellness room where students and staff can spend time away from class to regulate and center themselves
• Our school uses Panorama data management to identify students in need of additional support.
• Our school provides access to District mental health and support resources through Student Services which includes the Jordan Family Education Center and Mental Health Access Program.
• Our school provides access to academic support with District departments to support the success of every student, including class choice for all levels of students.
• Our school’s mental health providers (school counselors, school psychologists, and clinical support) are trained and supported by District administration to follow current best practices in prevention and intervention efforts.
• Administration emphasizes wellness and social, emotional learning periodically during staff meetings.
• Our school intervenes with early warning, content monitoring, and anonymous reporting tools with support from District specialists to identify and support students who may be at risk.
• Our school provides access to parent and family resources including a District partnership with the Cook Center for Human Connection, invitations to community events, and classes through the Jordan Family Education Center.
• Our school recognizes students for the positive things they do in the classroom and in the community, such as our Student of the Month awards, Student of the Day recognition, PBIS tokens (Spots), and Dream Team.
• Teams of teachers and counselors meet together weekly to discuss individual student needs and develop plans on how to meet those needs.
• South Jordan Middle hires quality teachers who are trained annually in suicide prevention. Some teachers, along with all administrators, are also trained in school threat assessments.
• Assemblies and lessons focus on being good digital, school, and community citizens.

Suicide Prevention Plan

• Our school’s mental health providers and administrators are trained on and review District suicide risk intervention guidelines annually with support from Jordan District’s Student Services Team.
• Faculty and Staff have been trained in recognizing warning signs and how to access help (QPR)
• All of our school’s licensed staff participate in suicide prevention training for their license renewal.
• Students identified who may be at risk of suicide receive interventions and support appropriate to their individual needs which may include a screening interview (CSSR-S), parent/guardian contact, a safety plan, mental health recommendations/referrals (JFEC, MHAP, etc.), a re-entry meeting, and regular follow-ups.
• District monitoring of school technology alerts administration to harmful searches and concerning content created by students.
• Administration and Counselors have access to and  encourage students to utilize the Safe UT anonymous reporting tool.
• All students are trained on the use of SafeUT.
• Coping skills and warning signs are taught to students in Health classes, College and Career Awareness classes, and during intervention time.
• Counselors, psychologists, and clinical support staff meet individually with students as needed to teach and train them on coping skills and strategies to improve mental health.
• Student surveys (Panorama) are administered three times a year to monitor student academic, social, and mental wellness.
• The counseling department surveys staff, parents, and students every three years to get feedback on how to better meet student needs.
• The mental health team regularly runs various groups with students to provide support with anxiety, self-compassion, connection to school,  etc.

Bullying, Harassment, and Discrimination Prevention Plan

• A school committee focuses on the culture and core values of our school: Courage, Kindness, Respect.
• A unity-promoting theme is selected every year by the student leaders.
• Counselors deliver bullying prevention lessons to help students know how to react if confronted with bullying situations.
• Our faculty and staff provide increased supervision during passing time, lunch, assemblies and high-traffic areas.
• Our school counseling team provides a variety of mental health support groups to help at-risk students develop friendships, social skills and self-regulation.
• Our school team proactively reviews relevant data on school climate, safety, and bullying by identifying vulnerable populations (e.g., racial and ethnic groups, LGBTQ youth, students with disabilities) and specific spaces where bullying may be likely in order to plan supports accordingly.
• Our school’s staff is trained on school procedures for recognizing, reporting (SafeUT, content monitoring, etc.), and responding to bullying incidents.
• Our school staff documents incidents in Skyward according to State requirements.
• Students involved in incidents of bullying as targets, aggressors, or witnesses receive support for their individual needs which may include suicide risk assessments, counseling and mental health services (i.e. school mental health team, JFEC, MHAP), Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP), lessons through an online program called Ripple Effects, a student wellness plan and/or parent/guardian contact—recognizing that targets, aggressors, and witnesses of bullying are more susceptible to school problems.
• Our school solicits student input monthly on issues such as bullying, safety, teacher concerns, and positive aspects of their school.
• Administrators and counselors encourage and are available to all students for reporting incidents.
• School-wide assemblies focused on standards, kindness, and behavior expectations are held yearly; reminders of expectations are given regularly on announcements.
• Bullying reports are addressed individually, confidentially, and timely with the student and their parent/guardian.

Violence Prevention Plan

• Our school’s administrators are trained on the Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (C-STAG), along with other members of our school’s threat assessment team which includes:

• School Resource Officer
• School Psychologist
• Counseling Team
• Clinical Support
• Teachers

• Our school has a process for timely response to school threats using Comprehensive School Threat Assessment Guidelines (C-STAG) and its decision tree. This includes warning potential victims and their parents/guardians.
• Our school’s staff and students are aware of school procedures for recognizing and reporting (SafeUT, content monitoring etc.) threats of violence.
• Students who are affected by, or who make threats of violence receive interventions and support appropriate to their individual needs, which may include problem solving, C-STAG interviews, suicide risk assessments, Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), Restorative Conferencing, Mediation, a Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP), counseling and mental health services (i.e. school mental health team, JFEC, MHAP) a student wellness plan and/or parent contact.
• Our School Resource Officer has trained all staff members on recognizing warning signs for physical violence in students, as well as what to do in case of an active shooter event.

Future Plans & Ideas

• As part of prevention, our school will be focusing on student connections to the school.  These connections will be fostered through student-led clubs, student body officers, Ambassador groups, continuation of student feedback through formal and informal settings, and staff-student relationships.  We will also focus on additional training for faculty and staff, including suicide and violence prevention.
• This prevention plan has been created following Jordan District guidelines, which can be reviewed at wellness.jordandistrict.org.