Indian Prairie District 204 touts social, emotional learning accomplishments in second year

As concerns rise about the mental health of students, Indian Prairie Unit District 204 leaders are looking more closely at the social and emotional learning programs in their schools.

District officials, staff members and students delivered a presentation at Monday's school board meeting to highlight the efforts made in the second full year of a districtwide program to focus on students' mental well-being.

The presentation came after a November board meeting when several students spoke about recent suicides and the increasing stress and academic pressures that accompany being part of one of the state's highest-achieving school districts.

One of the requests made by students was an increase in the number of counselors dedicated to mental health.

District 204 is the state's fourth-largest school district. Its 33 schools serve 26,000 students in Aurora, Bolingbrook, Naperville and Plainfield.

"It's important to reflect on our social emotional learning statement as it relates to developing safe and trusting relationships and building a culture of acceptance and resilience among our students," said Dawn Forkner, the district's social emotional and learning and wellness coordinator, a new position in the district.

While there are programs at many schools in the district, Forkner focused on the successful programs at three schools. Representatives from Young Elementary School, Fischer Middle School and Metea Valley High School spoke about the different ways they're reaching students.

The Fit Young Learners at Young is a before-school program that combines physical wellness with emotional well-being. The Falcon Nest at Fischer offers a quiet space to help students center themselves when they arrive in the morning.

The Mental Health Matters Club at Metea Valley encourages students to develop positive wellness habits and strategies.

Forkner also mentioned six other elementary school programs, five middle school programs and five high school programs associated with mental health and well-being. She said it was not an exhaustive list but just a sampling of the different ways the district is trying to address student struggles.

"If you went back and looked at the district goals four years ago, five years ago, there was not social emotional learning or those words in anything," said District 204 school board President Laurie Donahue. "This board saw the importance of that and made sure our goals were changed to incorporate that.

"It is such an important way of supporting our students and driving their success and happiness," she said. "I'm an absolute believer in this."