A Guide to Baltimore City Public School System’s Mental ...

A Guide to Baltimore City Public School System's Mental Health and Health Care Services

Developed by the Center for School Mental Health University of Maryland, Baltimore Last Updated: May 5, 2010

Introduction

Given the growing prevalence of mental health and health concerns among children and adolescents and the challenges in meeting the needs of children served by multiple agencies, it is especially important to promote coordination of health and mental health care across all child serving agencies and programs. In an effort to enhance communication and promote collaborative working relationships with school-based mental health and health related staff, the Center for School Mental Health (CSMH) has created a directory to assist in better navigating Baltimore City Public Schools' (BCPS) mental health and health related services. By providing an easily navigable means of connecting with Baltimore schools and their mental health and health services personnel, this directory aims to help improve health and mental health outcomes for Baltimore youth. Beyond just connecting to the actual services, the directory provides a practical resource guide that the Developmental Disabilities Administration and its provider network can use to effectively connect with the school-based education, health, and mental health care staff whose input and data can contribute to the development of more comprehensive, coordinated treatment plans for children and their families.

This guide includes a listing of schools within BCPS both alphabetically and by school number. For each school, the following are listed: phone number, address, principal's name; IEP and Team support personnel; school counselor, psychologist, social worker, speech pathologist, occupational therapist, expanded school mental health staff, school-based health center, and emotional disability (ED) program director. This directory is available in both a downloadable printable version at , and will also soon be available and maintained in an online, updatable format at baltimorecity..

Support for the 2010 updated print directory and the online directory comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services through Maryland's 1915(c) Medicaid Community Alternatives to Residential Treatment Facilities Demonstration Project (RTC Waiver). An initial version of the directory was created to assist child welfare workers in Baltimore City with navigating and increasing awareness of school-based services in order to improve coordination of care and ultimate outcomes for youth in foster care. The directory was funded as part of a larger project on School Mental Health and Child Welfare by the Center for School Mental Health, supported by the Office of Adolescent Health, Maternal, and Child Health Bureau, Health Resources and Services Administration, Department of Health and Human Services and by the Maryland Mental Health Transformation Grant from SAMHSA.

Glossary of Services Available: The following highlights what is meant by each of the services or terms listed within the directory.

Emotional Disability (ED) Program: ED programs are located within 25 Baltimore elementary and secondary schools, thus allowing students with diagnosed emotional disabilities the opportunity to receive specialized instruction, support, and monitoring within less restrictive settings. The goal of these programs is to return students to their home schools as soon as possible and to provide support for their successful reintegration. This is accomplished through building students' social and academic competencies, supporting parents, and collaborating with community agencies.

Expanded School Mental Health (ESMH): Expanded school mental health services are provided by 11 different community provider agencies partnering through the Baltimore City ESMH network to offer a full continuum of mental health services within schools. ESMH expands the level of services delivered in school to provide a full continuum of mental health services to children and adolescents in both general and special education, developed through strong school-family-community partnerships. These services may involve school-employed and collaborating community mental health professionals working together in schools to implement a full array of prevention, mental health promotion, early intervention, and treatment programs.

Individualized Education Program (IEP): A written description of the special education and related services for a student with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised by the student's IEP team. [20 U.S.C. ?1414(d); 34 C.F.R. ??300.320 - 300.328]

IEP Team: The group of individuals responsible for identifying and evaluating students with disabilities; developing, reviewing, or revising an IEP for a student with a disability; and determining the placement of a student with a disability in the least restrictive environment (LRE). The team may also include, at the discretion of the parent or the local school system, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise about the student. [20 U.S.C. ?1414(d) (1) (B)-(d) (1) (D); 34 C.F.R. ??300.321]

IEP Team Associate: An IEP Team Associate must possess a Masters Degree in Education or closely related field. Under the direction of the Principal and in collaboration with the Office of Technical Support for IEP Teams, the IEP Team Associate provides assistance and serves as an equal core member of an IEP team. The IEP Associate is responsible for implementing Baltimore City Public School System (BCPSS) policies and procedures pertaining to students with disabilities and is familiar with federal and state legislation that guide the administration of programs for students with disabilities.

Occupational Therapist: Occupational therapists must graduate from an occupational therapy program and possess a license to practice in Maryland. They work with individuals with mental, physical, emotional, or developmental issues, and their aim is to improve clients' ability to function independently in their environments.

School-Based Health Centers: In addition to school-based health services, there are fifteen School-Based Health Centers administered by the Baltimore City Health Department, which offer services that include primary health care and health education. Mental health care and substance abuse services are also available at certain sites.

School Counselor: School counselors hold a master's degree in school counseling, guidance counseling, education or a closely-related field, and are certified by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE). They may hold a valid certification from the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC) or be licensed as a graduate counselor (LGPC) or as a licensed

clinical professional counselor (LCPC). They are responsible for counseling (classroom, group, and personal), consulting, interpreting assessments and appraisals, disseminating accurate and timely information, contributing to decisions regarding placement services, and coordinating these services for all students in grades K-12. Services provided by school counselors help students 1) demonstrate personal and academic growth, 2) make appropriate educational and career decisions, and 3) have productive interactions with others. They also serve on the school improvement team, advisory committees, and pupil services teams; while providing staff development and consultation for faculty, parents, and the community. They are advocates for all students.

School Health Services: The Baltimore City Health Department School Health Programs provide school health services in every Baltimore City Public School. Those services include, but are not limited to: medication administration, health screening for hearing and vision, care for students with chronic health conditions, first aid, emergency response, communicable disease surveillance, immunization record review and health education. (The contact person for health services for each school is not listed in the directory. If you are interested in school health services, please call the school's main number and ask to speak with the school nurse or health aide.)

School Psychologist: School psychologists hold either a master's degree, advanced graduate specialist's or doctoral degree in psychology, education or human development, and are certified by MSDE. School psychologists may hold a valid Nationally Certified School Psychologist certificate issued by the National Association of School Psychologists, and some school psychologists are Maryland licensed psychologists. School psychologists provide a continuum of mental health services to children in the educational setting. They frequently serve on the IEP team for students with behavioral and mental health needs. School psychologists, like school counselors and school social workers, help link student needs and school services with community services to provide a continuum of mental health care.

School Social Worker: School social workers are licensed by the Maryland Stated Board of Social Work Examiners as a (1) graduate social worker (LGSW), (2) certified social worker (LCSW), or (3) certified social worker-clinical (LCSW-C). School social workers are also certified by MSDE. School social workers are funded to provide case management and behavior support to students eligible for special education and related services. School social workers help inform staff through staff development programs and individual teacher and administration consultation.

Speech Pathologist: A Speech Pathologist is a health care professional who has a Master's or Doctoral Degree, has completed a period of post-graduate supervised training and has passed the National Examination in Speech-Language Pathology. Speech Pathologists specialize in the prevention, identification and evaluation of communication and swallowing disorders and provide treatment and rehabilitative services for speech, language, voice and swallowing disorders.

Team Support Paraprofessional: The Team Support Paraprofessional must possess at least a high school diploma. The Team Support Paraprofessional acts as an assistant to the IEP Team Associate. This person assists in data-entry related to the special education process and also assists in preparing letters and other communication to parents/guardians of children who receive special education services.

Schools by Number

4 Steuart Hill Academic Academy Middle 5 Langston Hughes Elementary 7 Cecil Elementary 8 City Springs Elementary/Middle 10 James McHenry Elementary 11 Eutaw-Marshburn Elementary 12 Lakeland Elementary/Middle 13 Tench Tilghman Elementary 15 Stadium School Middle 16 Johnston Square Elementary/Middle 21 Hilton Elementary 22 George Washington Elementary 23 Wolfe Street Academy Elementary 24 Westside Elementary 25 Dr. Rayner Browne Elementary/Middle 27 Commodore John Rogers Elementary/Middle 28 William Pinderhughes Elementary 29 Matthew A. Henson Elementary 31 Coldstream Park Elementary/Middle 34 Charles Carroll Barrister Elementary 35 Harlem Park Elementary/Middle 37 Harford Heights Elementary 39 Dallas F. Nicholas Sr. Elementary 42 Garrison Middle 44 Montebello Elementary/Middle 45 Federal Hill Preparatory Middle 46 Chinquapin Middle 47 Hampstead Hill Academy Elementary/Middle 49 Northeast Middle 50 Abbottston Elementary 51 Waverly Elementary/Middle 53 Margaret Brent Elementary/Middle 54 Barclay Elementary/Middle 55 Hampden Elementary/Middle 58 Dr. Nathan A. Pitts-Ashburton Elementary/Middle 60 Gwynns Falls Elementary 61 John Eager Howard Elementary

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