The Chapel Hill-Carrboro City Schools Board of Education has adopted several new mental health measures to better support the wellbeing of students and staff. Some of these measures include employee bonuses and wellness days.
At the board of education meeting on October 21, CHCCS Superintendent Dr. Nyah Hamlett presented several upcoming initiatives designed to improve the mental health of teachers.
“What can we take off of educators’ plates, even if it’s just temporarily, that still allows us to focus on addressing unfinished learning safety, wellness, and our three vision components for the year,” Hamlett said, “Which is keeping equity at the center, data-driven culture as a means to close gaps and using strategic planning to inform our work.”
At that meeting, the board unanimously supported a plan for two-year retention bonuses. This includes $1,000 bonuses in the current year and a minimum of $500 next year. These bonuses will be funded through the district’s Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund allocation as well as a local fund balance.
Chair or the CHCCS Board of Education Jillian La Serna said while she wished there was more money to give teachers for all their hard work, especially during the pandemic, this is a step in the right direction.
“I think about how our staff are making decisions about staying or going,” La Serna said. “I want to encourage staff to stay for continuity in learning, continuity in instruction, familiar faces for children, and to say thank you for being here last year and staying this year. But also stay with us next year.”
In addition to increased pay for staff, the board of education approved several teacher workdays and wellness days to allow everyone more time off to maintain their mental health.
Now, the entire week of Thanksgiving is an “off” week for students, with one optional teacher workday on Monday, November 22. Outside of the November holiday, in the new year, February 14 will be a wellness day and a required teacher workday will now move to February 15.
The board also approved a new policy allowing employees to work from home or telework in emergency situations or on designated teacher workdays. Emergency situations include natural disasters, inclement weather or a public health emergency stemming from the pandemic.
Additionally, the CHCCS administration made a few changes that did not require board approval. Following Thanksgiving Break, Hamlett said high school seniors will be permitted to leave campus for lunch.
“Right now, if they have four or five lunch periods and they’re 20 minutes, number one, that’s not enough time for a senior to leave and come back,” Hamlett said. “And number two, those who are staying, they have time to eat, put their mask back on and that’s about it. So, the plans that they’re looking through is more than just about the senior lunch period and being able to leave campus, but also about increased socialization time and connectivity for students.”
CHCCS will also create “Mindful Mondays” and “Wellness Wednesdays” starting in January 2022. On these occasions, Hamlett said students would still come to school, but would do so in a “relaxed schedule,” with planned wellness activities that are meant to reduce stress and anxiety.
“We do need time to further flesh that out and plan,” Hamlett said. “So, it could be something that happens as an extended advisory time, maybe an extended lunch period, or it could be full days of wellness focused activities.”
Finally, the district plans to develop outdoor, school-sponsored events that follow all current COVID protocols. Plus, create a plan that will permit certain visitors and volunteers back into schools to support school programming.
Learn more about what was discussed at the most recent school board meeting here.
Following CHCCS’ example, the Chatham County Board of Education has also changed its academic calendar to make November 12 a “day of reflection” for students and staff. This will serve as a workday for teachers while students will have the day off.
Lead photo via Town of Chapel Hill.
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