Please integrate the following tasks to your Day One Ready List. We will be sure to get these on the master list in the future. Thanks!
July/August/September Priorities for student services include:
*Secretaries at Training August 4th-Do not schedule it as a registration day.
*Secondary Counselors have 195 day contract—determine the start date for counselors.
*Set up SSC/Counselor meeting to review students with tier 3 needs, cross check schedules, supports, consider parent meeting or home visit prior to school.
*Set-up weekly Counselor Meetings, discuss Counselor Corner for staff meetings, discuss possible staff presentation for PD days.
*Set up your anti-harassment and bullying training dates for students
*Set up Mental Health Screening dates with social workers and counselors
*Set-up regular (weekly suggested) Mental Health Meetings with your district social worker. Schedule a staff presentation.
*Set up a meeting with your school nurse to discuss CPR trained staff requirements, fall staff training, and vision screening
*Secondary set up a meeting with your SRO and PYP advocate.
*Set up a McKinney Meeting with Becky Baskett or Mike Harmon
Must be an assistant principal unless you have a split AP (split APs should be the SSaSS at one of their schools and the other one should assign the position to a counselor or teacher.
Set standing day/time (at least once per week) for SSC meetings
On May 6, 2025, the Board approved our new Written Agreement with several changes from the past. Because Student Services Councils (SSCs) are part of the Written Agreement, I wanted to take a moment to highlight the changes as well as remind you of our practices regarding MTSS and student support.
Schools should follow the flow chart below when addressing students with behavioral concerns that do not rise to a district-level safe schools violation:
A student who has been identified as in need of additional supports, should receive classroom level interventions prior to being brought to SSC.
If a teacher needs help developing or collecting data on these interventions, they should reach out to their PLC and/or the Behavior Specialist Office Hours for support.
If the classroom-level interventions tried do not result in improvement, the student should be presented to SSC.
A referral form should be used for all SSC referrals. Schools may develop their own or use a sample found on the Canvas page.
SSC should provide additional guidance for Tier 2 supports and interventions based on the information presented to them.
SSC should regularly follow up on students they have addressed.
If, after 2-4 weeks of intervention, the student has still not made improvements, the SSC should develop next steps which may include a referral to the Behavior Specialist team or Special Education.
If SSC determines that the appropriate next step is a referral to a Behavior Specialist, the SSC chair (principal or assistant principal) should complete the referral form found on the Canvas page or linked here.
15.4.8 Student Services Council.
15.4.8.1 Purpose. A Student Services Council shall be established in each school to collaborate and recommend appropriate services, interventions, and strategies for students whose needs are not being met and to assure that due process rights are protected.
Council Members
Elementary School
Middle/Intermediate School
High School
Principal (chair)Special Education teacherCounselor/Social WorkerGeneral Education teacher
Principal (chair)Assistant Principal(alt chair)Counselor/Social WorkerGeneral Education teacher
15.4.8.5 Additional Participants by Invitation. Additional participants may be invited to provide input and support to best serve students. serve as members of the Student Services Council.
5.4.8.6 Council Determines Procedures. The council shall meet weekly, or more frequently, if business dictates. The chairperson shall be the principal or assistant principal. The operating procedures of the council shall be determined by the council in compliance with the district policies
15.4.8.7 Agenda. Students to be discussed during the council meetings shall be placed on an agenda by the chairperson so council members can be notified in advance. Individual members of the council will provide data/documentation pertaining to the placement and/or services of the student being discussed.
15.4.8.8 Minutes Required. Minutes of decisions made at each council meeting shall be recorded and shared in a secure manner by school administration with those who have a legitimate interest. The chairperson shall maintain copies of all minutes saved on the district electronic network.
May 7th is National School Nurse Day: Please join us in recognizing SLCSD nurses for National School Nurse Day. Nurses play a critical role in supporting the health, wellness, and academic success of our students. Please show our nurses how much they are appreciated!
Ask a Therapist Live on May 7th: Parents with questions about parenting, relationships, or their child's well-being can anonymously submit questions to receive thoughtful, personalized answers from family therapist, Dr. Kevin Skinner via our ParentGuidance.org Mental Health Series Webinars
Ask counselors about their Transition Report Form:One counselor from each school enters transition activities conducted to support students needing extra support as they transition from elementary to middle or middle to high school.
Please be sure all SafeUT tips for your school were assigned prior to the end of the year. Close every tip. SafeUT Administrator Portal Training
We hope this message finds you well. We are writing to provide guidance regarding HB 77 – Flag Display Amendments, which was recently passed by the Utah Legislature and will take effect May 7, 2025. This legislation outlines specific regulations regarding which flags may be displayed on or within government property, including public school campuses.
For years, Salt Lake City School District has been known for our commitment to fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for all students and staff, and we remain committed to this goal and the values underlying that commitment. We also appreciate the pride and passion many of our students and staff feel in their beliefs and causes. While this law imposes certain limitations, we will continue to foster school environments where all students feel seen, supported, and valued. In order to understand and implement this legislation, we are providing the following protocols for our schools.
Key Provisions of HB 77
HB 77 defines “display” as placing a flag in a prominent location where the flag is easily visible. A “flag” is defined as a usually rectangular piece of fabric with a specific design that symbolizes a location, government entity, or cause.
To ensure district-wide compliance, please note the following flags are permitted for display:
The official United States Flag
The official Utah State Flag
The current and official flag of another country, state, or political subdivision (e.g., another school district or city)
A flag that represents a city, municipality, county, or other political subdivision within Utah
A flag representing a branch, unit, or division of the U.S. military
The National League of Families POW/MIA flag
A flag that represents a recognized Indian tribe
An officially licensed college or university flag
A historic version of the U.S., Utah, or other state/national flags
An official public school flag
An official flag of the U.S. Olympic/Paralympic Committee, International Olympic/Paralympic Committee, or a specific Olympiad/Paralympiad that occurred or will occur
A flag of an organization authorized to use space within a public school, during the time they are using the space
We understand that some of you may feel inclined to demonstrate your support for various causes, groups, and beliefs by displaying items that do not meet the definition of flag and thus do not violate the new law. While we support you in your goal of signaling a welcome environment, there is additional information that you should consider in displaying items. In addition to HB 77, the Utah State Board of Education (“USBE”) issued a letter on April 10,2025, reminding educators of Utah Admin. Code R277-217(25), Educator Standards, that states that an educator may not “through instruction, materials, or symbols . . . endorse promote, or disparage” a particular viewpoint. The letter also indicated how the public may report violations of this section. We are providing you with this information not as a threat of district action, but as an awareness that USBE, as the licensing authority for Utah educators, has indicated that compliance with these rules and laws is not only expected but vital.
Action Steps for Schools
Review all flags currently displayed in your school or on your school property, including in classrooms, hallways, and offices.
Remove any flags that do not fall within the categories listed above by the end of school onMay 6, 2025, to ensure full compliance with the law upon its effective date.
When in doubt, please consult with the General Counsel before displaying a new flag to confirm it meets the legal criteria.
Ensure that flags displayed during temporary use by authorized organizations are removed promptly after their use of the space ends.
The Office of the State Auditor is tasked with overseeing compliance with this legislation and may impose fines for violations. As such, we must be diligent and proactive to ensure our flag displays align with this new legislation.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter and for your continued leadership in ensuring our schools remain compliant, welcoming, and student-centered.
SLCSD stakeholders will begin to receive notices of their access to the stakeholder survey. All surveys must be completed by May 2. Please encourage everyone to participate.
In case any questions arise, here is the information you should know:
This survey is OPTIONAL, no one should feel compelled to take it. However, it is incredibly useful feedback, and we strongly encourage all our stakeholders to participate.
This survey is CONFIDENTIAL, and participants should be encouraged to complete it at a time and location where they feel comfortable giving honest feedback.
Survey links will be sent out to adults via EMAIL. If they do not see the link, they should check junk/spam folders or reach out to jeffrey.lutz@slcschools.org.
Students can access the survey through Clever. To increase response rates, we encourage you to work with your teachers to provide time for students to do their surveys while they’re in school.
Students may see more than one survey when the go into Clever. There is the USBE Stakeholder Survey and the Teacher Feedback Survey. Please encourage them to complete BOTH.
Parents/Students
A student must have been enrolled for at least 40 days to receive a survey.
Students and parents will be asked to provide feedback on each individual course/teacher they have as well as the administrators in their building.
They may skip any sections they wish
Parents with multiple children in the district may receive separate survey emails for each child.
Class information is pulled from PowerSchool so if a student is in an afterschool program or a class that they know by a different name than what is in PowerSchool, please help them determine which class that is (i.e. After School might be Chess Club).
Alli Martin, Ed.D. (she/her/hers)
Director of Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and Prevention Services
Happy April! Hope you are enjoying the warmer weather and looking forward to some spring break plans or already enjoyed your spring break! Below you will find some helpful attendance information and resources.
Utah Attendance Success Stories/Celebrations
This month we want to highlight Jordan School District and all of the amazing work they are doing to increase daily attendance and decrease chronic absenteeism across their district. They have developed social media posts that schools and district leaders are regularly posting to help remind students and parents about the importance of being at school every day. They have also developed a district attendance committee which includes the director of student services, an attendance/prevention specialist, a health & wellness specialist, a counselor specialist, an assistant high school principal, an assistant middle school principal, an assistant elementary principal, and two representatives from their information systems department. They worked hard to develop an attendance flowchart that is beneficial to all schools across their district. Thanks for being such a great example to districts all over the state!
We would like to highlight Maria Montessori Academy for all of their efforts to increase daily attendance and reduce chronic absenteeism. They send weekly newsletters with updates in them about attendance goals and offer transportation support to families. They also sent a survey to parents about their beliefs around the importance of attending school and asked them to individually identify what motivates their children to come to school. They also have a school attendance team which includes the school nurse, the student success specialist, the director, and the attendance secretary. This team works hard to collaborate with families to reduce barriers for their students. Thanks for your example to schools on engaging with stakeholders and keeping everyone included when it comes to attendance!
Attendance Legislative Update
Senate Bill 279 was passed during this last legislative session. Please read this bill and update your lists of valid excuses to include the “competition in a rodeo sanctioned by an international, non-profit organization dedicated to the development of sportsmanship, horsemanship, and character in youth through the sport of rodeo;” Let us know if you have any questions regarding this piece of legislation.
Attendance Webinar
We loved seeing so many of you at our attendance webinar last month. Our next webinar is coming up on May 12th at 10:30am. We will send out more information later this month with the zoom link and topics that will be covered. We hope to see you there!
Statewide Attendance Campaign
We are so excited to announce that our slogan for our Statewide Attendance Campaign is going to be “Every Day Counts!” Thank you to everyone for your input and for helping us decide on our slogan. We will be developing resources and ideas to share with every LEA across the state to distribute this coming summer. If you want to be a part of the planning and creating of this campaign, please email Megan Menlove at megan.menlove@schools.utah.gov.
Helpful Articles/Podcasts
Spring Slide Ideas- there are a lot of challenges in the spring with absenteeism. This is a great time to run a targeted campaign and remind parents and students of the importance of being at school every day.
Part of increasing attendance in our schools is creating a positive school climate where students feel connected to others. One way schools across Utah are starting to increase the positivity in their schools is through “Kindness Walls”. See more information at https://youuplift.com/ and this KSL article.
*2025-2026 Tier 1 Engagement and Attendance Cohorts- if your LEA is participating in our cohorts for the 2025-2026 school year, we are scheduling our onboarding meetings this month.
*May 12, 2025 at 10:30am- 2025 Attendance Webinar Series #3.
*July 16, 2025 at 10:30am- 2025 Attendance Webinar Series #4.
We appreciate all you do. Please let us know how we can best support you and your schools.
As we approach the summer months, we want to share some important information about our summer work schedule. During this period, our workweek will shift to four 10-hour days. This schedule provides a great opportunity for extended weekends while maintaining productivity.
Please keep in mind that if you need to take time off, PTO must be used for any hours not worked. Working only five hours in a day will not be considered a full workday. If you need to adjust your schedule, please coordinate with your supervisor to ensure coverage and compliance with our policy.
We appreciate your dedication and commitment, and we hope this schedule allows you to enjoy a bit more flexibility during the summer months. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
In order to support the Board priority of Social Emotional Learning, we offer SEL curriculum to each school who wants to use it to teach SEL skills to their students. As a school leader, you may choose to use other methods to teach these skills. Please think through your options and decide what will work best for your staff and your students then complete this form by April 22 to communicate how your school will support SEL instruction in the 25-26 school year.
Teaching SEL to every student is not optional! Regardless of the method, it is an expectation that every student in our district will receive direct instruction in SEL skills and that they will experience our Signature Practices every day. Please work with your Area Director if you need support making this happen.
Before continuing to the form, familiarize yourself with the three programs available through district funding:
Inner Explorer - Inner Explorer programs are audio-guided and require no training or preparation from school staff. The “press play” format allows school communities to easily implement and maintain a daily mindfulness practice on any device. Our practices build on traditional Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) framework, utilizing daily mindfulness as the foundation and creates foundational support across all aspects of a Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS). Additionally, Inner Explorer programs are approved by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) and recommended as one of the top ten programs for increasing executive function by Brain Futures.
Move This World - This platform is designed to ignite a powerful transformation in students, teachers, and families, empowering them to embrace and implement essential social emotional skills that transcend the boundaries of traditional education. Their dynamic, participatory approach to Student and Educator wellness, merges the esteemed CASEL core competencies with evidence-based research and the visionary expertise of a team of educators, innovators, and mental health experts.
Second Step - Committee for Children’s research-based Second Step® programs give teachers an easy-to-implement, engaging way to teach social-emotional skills and concepts. Second Step programs are designed to help children thrive and be more successful in school—ultimately setting them up to be thoughtful and productive adults.
Discover Second Step, an evidence-based social-emotional learning curriculum that fosters students' emotional intelligence, empathy, and problem-solving skills.
We are excited to share our SLS Summer Learning Series with you! Throughout this summer, we want to support you with learning opportunities addressing the needs we are seeing in our schools. Each session is optional, but we would love to get an idea of how many folks to expect, so please register via Kickup asap.
SLS Summer Learning Series
Time: 2:00PM – 4:00PM Location: District office, room 1016
Date
Title
Description
Facilitator
June 19
Supporting students with habitual disruptive behaviors
This session will focus on understanding the process to support students with habitual disruptive behaviors including using your SSC, creating/evaluating behavior plans, and accessing district supports.
Alli Martin
June 25
Addressing bullying
Learn how state law has changed the way we document and address allegations of bullying. This session will focus on developing practical SEL skills and tools to improve school climate.
Alli Martin
July 9
S-3/discipline processes
New admin are highly encouraged to attend! We will review guidance for log entries vs incidents and practices around S-3 violations.
Alli Martin
July 16
De-escalation and trauma-informed discipline
This session will focus on how trauma impacts student behavior and how to develop restorative disciplinary practices that lead to positive behavioral change.
