Procedure 5515 - Workforce Secondary Traumatic Stress

District-wide Workforce Mental Health Committee 

The District will establish a comprehensive Workforce Mental Health Committee. The District will seek committee members who have the interest and skills to best serve the committee. The District's Workforce Mental Health Committee will consist of at least the following: 

  • One teacher and classified staff member from the K-8 level;
  • •One teacher and classified staff member from the high school level;
  • One staff member from student services and/or support staff ( e.g., school counselors, social workers, liaisons, etc.);
  • One central office administrator who has funding authority and one central office administrator who can represent Human Resources, this can be the same person;
  • One K-8 building administrator, and one high school building administrator: and
  • One representative from the Transportation, Food Service, Facilities Departments or the para-educator employee unit.

The committee will seek resources related to secondary traumatic stress from Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Educational Service District (ESD), and the School Employees' Benefits Board (SEBB). The committee is encouraged to consider resources supporting comprehensive staff well-being.

Additionally, the committee may seek input regarding resources from District personnel and the community. Materials and resources related to secondary traumatic stress will be shared district-wide via: 

  • The District intranet;
  • Employee notice board at each work site; and
  • E-mails to all school employees

The duties of the committee will include: 

  • Sharing supports available through the OSPI, the ESD, and the SEBB;
  • Sharing links to a secondary traumatic stress self-assessment tool and any associated resources;
  • When possible, the committee should use a continuous quality improvement process, which can include a staff climate survey. This should include:
    • Offering an opportunity for staff to give anonymous feedback;
    • Reviewing the data collected;
  • Utilizing the data collected, report to the Board at least once per year with a summary of committee activities, the status of staff well-being, and an assessment and recommendations for the implementation of this policy and procedure.