CCS Wilmington School-Based Mental Health Plan, July 2026
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School-Based Mental Health Plan
(per NC G.S. 115C-376.5 and SBOE Policy SHLT-003)
Effective October 27, 2021 – Revised July 06, 2026
Since its founding, Classical Charter Schools of Wilmington (65C) has recognized that student mental and physical health are integral parts of a foundation for academic success. Support of students in this area aligns with the school's mission statement of assisting the next generation with having the skills for effective expression, communication, and understanding of how they fit in this world, with a love for learning and discovery.
Executive Summary and Current Status
Promotion and Support for Student Mental Health and Well-Being
Since its founding, the school has recognized that student mental and physical health are integral parts of a foundation for student well-being leading to academic success. And student mental and physical health and sense of well-being must be founded, in turn, upon each student being safe and loved. Teachers must greet each student at the classroom door every morning and must never raise their voice or belittle anyone on campus. When outside during periods of drop-off, recess, lunch, or pick-up, all personnel at the school must wear bright yellow safety vests so they can be easily recognized by a student who may need assistance. Likewise, students have a uniform policy that promotes unity and a team spirit to mutually support each other in their endeavors.
Support of students in these vital areas aligns with the school's mission statement of assisting the next generation with having the skills for effective expression, communication, and understanding of how they fit into this world with a love for learning and discovery.
Promoting student mental and physical health, as explained in the original application, begins every school day with every student reciting the school pledge that has as its first line:
“I pledge to keep myself health in body, mind, and spirit - staying physically fit, mentally awake, and morally straight.”
Subsequent lines in the daily pledge address topics of truth, virtue, prudence, justice, temperance, and loyalty among others as positive traits to be learned and modeled. Promoting and supporting the concepts recited in the pledge are accomplished by integrating them into the fabric of the daily life in school.
In the core curriculum of ELA, characters in the literature are discussed and analyzed for the results of their decisions and how their decisions have an impact on themselves and others. In history, prominent figures are similarly discussed and analyzed for their character traits and how these traits influenced their decisions and the lives of those around them. There are Hero/Villain lessons focusing on comparing a hero such as George Washington to a villain such as Benedict Arnold. In the weekly Health class, there is a mental education section for discussion of character traits and a physical section for exercise and physical wellness.
In addition to the morning pledge and the integration of its traits into the curriculum, each month has an identified trait that the entire campus focuses on and that can receive extra attention on field trips, campus events, and even recess. The trait of the month might be used as a basis for some homework assignments. At the end of the month, teachers will decide on a recipient for the Student of the Month award based on the student who best exemplifies that month’s trait.
Community Involvement
On our enrollment form, parents are asked to rank their reasons for choosing the school for their child. The first reason is always the school’s academic record, but the second reason is character education, which we believe attests to the success of the original plan and implementation for SMH.
School Based Mental Health Services: The school has partnered with a community-based counseling agency who has an assigned social worker to provide counseling. The student is referred at the request of the parent or when a teacher identifies a student as needing emotional support. The social worker meets with the student on a weekly basis and works closely with the school in providing additional support as needed.
Intervention, Assessment, and Improvement
Every SMH plan can be improved, and details of our plan have evolved over a number of years. A more recent focus for plan improvement is that of data acquisition and analysis of SMH problems from several sources of data.
Discipline records: The school’s First Law is “Reward good behavior- you’ll get more of it!” Teachers and staff have as a goal to give out four reinforcements to every aversive they may issue. The School-Wide Behavior and Discipline Plan is published and contains forms for parents to sign agreeing to the policies discussed in the Plan. Inappropriate behaviors are ranked by seriousness into classes from Class I for minor offenses to Class IV for major offenses such as weapons or drugs on campus.
The school has a database with entry forms for staff to log inappropriate behaviors with the student ID, date, time, and nature of the behavior and the action taken: note to parent; call to parent; sent to office; suspended for parent pick-up. These logs may be analyzed to detect trends that can be identified and remedied.
Social Worker Referral Forms: It is important to note that while mental health problems may manifest themselves in inappropriate behavior, this is not always the case. Thus, there is a separate system for staff referrals to the school’s social worker. Referrals can range from students having emotional or family problems to patterns of repeated unusual behavior where the social worker can introduce the family to the local mental health agency or other agency that may be able to assist.
Suicide Prevention: The 24/7 anonymous tip call line protocol can be assessed for students in grades 6-8 in middle school.
Return-to -Learn (Concussions): Head trauma data is collected as incurred and must be assessed along with other data to determine the best learning program for the student.
McKinney-Vento Survey (Homelessness): Biannual data on student homelessness is collected and summary information is provided to the state. Additionally, social worker referrals by teachers occur when they become aware of a change in student family housing conditions.
Given the extensive SMH support being currently addressed throughout the school, the tasks and action items that lay ahead are delineated below.
School-Based Mental Health Plan
Improvement Support and Action Items
Target | Action Items | Support Source |
|---|---|---|
Strengths and Needs | Strengths
Needs:
| School social worker, mental health team Dean of Resources, school social worker. |
SMH Prevention Initiatives | The school offers a disciplined, caring classroom environment that emphasizes traditional values and direct instructional methods for students who wish to fulfill high expectations for diligence, discipline, and devotion to seeking knowledge. In addition to the core values the school exhibits that foster SMH, the following are also provided: MTSS, Character Education, health curriculum, school-based counseling services, school social worker referral process, Say Something Anonymous reporting system. | |
Build/Align Infrastructure |
| School social worker BT coordinator, Coastal Horizons. |
Align with Academic Objectives |
| Resource and teaching staff |
Physical Activity in the Classroom |
| K-8 teachers and teacher assistants |
SMH Curriculum Prevention Environment | Curriculum: SMH is embedded in the character education and health curriculum. Instruction: The social worker is available to offer monthly support in implementing SMH that aligns with the health and character education curriculum. The support will be in the form of webinars, videos and reading literature. Environment: As currently implemented, morning greetings at the entrance of the classroom is a way of “checking in” with each student. Creating safe classroom environments, inclusive of cool down corners, posters on the wall that emphasize the core value being reinforced. Simple uniforms reinforce comradery and a sense of unity with everyone being mutually supportive and on the same academic team. | K-8 teachers and teacher assistants, Health/Character ed teacher, School Social Worker |
Data Evaluations |
| Quality Control staff, IT Dept. |
Early Intervention |
teachers.
the community for parents. | MTSS coordinator, school social worker, Coastal Horizons |
Improvement Plan Review |
|
Model Mental Health Training Program for Policy SHLT-003, SL 2019-245 and SL 2020-7
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 115C-376.5
(b) School-Based Mental Health Policy. - The State Board of Education shall adopt a school-based mental health policy that includes (i) minimum requirements for a school-based mental health plan for K-12 school units and (ii) a model mental health training program and model suicide risk referral protocol for K-12 school units. Consistent with this section, the model mental health training program and model suicide risk referral protocol shall meet all of the following requirements:(1) The model mental health training program shall be provided to school personnel who work with students in grades kindergarten through 12 and address the following topics:
a. Youth mental health
b. Suicide prevention
c. Substance abuse
d. Sexual abuse prevention
e. Sex trafficking prevention
f. Teenage dating violence.
g. Adult social emotional learning/mental wellness
26-27
SB199/Session Law 2019-245 Sex Trafficking Prevention Training
Time: 2 hours required training
Who: All Staff
Method: Self-Paced- Building Protective Factors to Reduce Student Vulnerability to Human Trafficking
Link: https://vimeo.com/840950246/77d648710d?share=copy
Watch video 1 hour 30 minutes
OR
Method: Self-Paced-Human Trafficking 101
Link: https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking-101/
Create an account and complete the training, 6 modules
Offered: School Year 2026-2027 (All CCS-A employees)
https://www.ncleg.gov/Sessions/2019/Bills/Senate/PDF/S476v6.pdf
SB476/Session Law 2020-7 Mental Health Plans
Time: 6 hours required training during the first 6 months of employment for 2026-2027school year implementation
Who: All New Staff Hired this 26-27 School Year
Methods:
- 1.Mental Health Overview Self-Paced University of Maryland- Mental Health to Support Student Learning (3.5 hours)
- 2.RISE Suicide Prevention PDF https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Jc4myEy58LTSDOX8vXv8HTF09lFbLRTa/view
- 3.Suicide Prevention Training- NCEES System- Southeast: NC School Mental Health Plan Training Course Code: 28800 or Sandhills: NC School Mental Health Plan Training Course Code:28794
- 4.Human Trafficking -Building Protective Factors to Reduce Student Vulnerability to Human Trafficking https://vimeo.com/840950246/77d648710d?share=copy Watch video 1 hour 30 minutes Or Human Trafficking 101- Polaris Project https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking-101/
- 5.Identifying Child Abuse and Neglect https://alison.com/course/identifying-child-abuse-and-neglect
Training | Staff Involved: |
|---|---|
6 Hours Required Training within 6 months of Hire | |
Overview of Mental Health | |
University of Maryland- Mental Health to Support Student Learning (3.5 hours) Or Understanding Mental Health (3 hours) | 26-27 New Hires Self-Paced |
Suicide Prevention Training | |
NCEES System- Southeast: NC School Mental Health Plan Training Course Code: 28800 or Sandhills: NC School Mental Health Plan Training Course Code:28794 (1.5 Hours) | 26-27 New Hires Self-Paced Link:Open the linked file in Google Drivehttps://my.ncedcloud.org/ui/applications Course Code: 28800 or 28794 Flyer on What to Do with Human Trafficking Series https://safesupportivelearning.ed.gov/sites/default/files/HT%20poster%208-5x11.pdf |
Human Trafficking | |
Building Protective Factors to Reduce Student Vulnerability to Human Trafficking (1.5 Hours) Or Human Trafficking 101 (1.5 Hours) | 26-27 New Hires- Self Paced https://vimeo.com/840950246/77d648710d?share=copy Watch video 1 hour 30 minutes Human Trafficking 101- Polaris Project https://polarisproject.org/human-trafficking-101/ Rise: Human Trafficking Guide https://drive.google.com/file/d/1lsoPNnEtMKUGs5niCdqUV4Ou7ZsixnHe/view |
2 Hours of Training 2026-27 School Year | |
Focus: Adult social emotional learning/mental wellness | |
Stay Healthy at the Workplace 2-3 Hours | 26-27 All Staff-Self-Paced |
Self-Care for Students and Academics 2-3 Hours | 26-27 All Staff-Self-Paced https://alison.com/course/self-care-for-students-and-academics |
Stress Management - Techniques for Coping with Stress 3-4 Hours | 26-27 All Staff-Self-Paced https://alison.com/course/stress-management-techniques-for-coping-with-stress-revised |
Pick 2 above or complete Stress Management to fulfil time requirement | |
Child Abuse Prevention https://www.ncdps.gov/dps-services/safety-tips/child-abuse-prevention Recognizing Child Abuse: /https://ncjtc-static.fvtc.edu/resources/RS03296879.pdf Child Abuse and Neglect - Signs and Symptoms factsheet | |
Source: published original PDF. Document review and assistive-technology validation continue.