III.+Access+to+Resources+and+Services

// A key aspect of promoting positive school climates is ensuring that the underlying emotional needs of targets, aggressors, families, and others are addressed. The Plan should describe the strategies for providing supports and services necessary to meet these needs. In order to enhance the school’s or district’s capacity to prevent, intervene early, and respond effectively to bullying, available services should reflect an understanding of the dynamics of bullying and provide approaches to address the needs of targets and aggressors. Plans must include a strategy for providing counseling or referral to appropriate services for aggressors, targets, and family members of those students. These locally established strategies should be reflected in the school or district Plan. // A. __Identifying resources__. The Plan should include the school’s or district’s process for identifying its capacity to provide counseling and other services for targets, aggressors, and their families. This will include a review of current staffing and programs that support the creation of positive school environments by focusing on early interventions and intensive services. Once this mapping of resources is complete, the school or district can develop recommendations and action steps to fill resource and service gaps. This may include adopting new curricula, reorganizing staff, establishing safety planning teams, and identifying other agencies that can provide services. The Plan should outline the local processes for identifying existing and needed resources. B. __Counseling and other services__. The Plan should identify the availability of culturally and linguistically appropriate resources within the school and district. If resources need to be developed, the Plan should identify linkages with community based organizations, including Community Service Agencies (CSAs) for Medicaid eligible students. In addition, the Plan should identify staff and service providers who assist schools in developing safety plans for students who have been targets of bullying or retaliation, providing social skills programs to prevent bullying, and offering education and/or intervention services for students exhibiting bullying behaviors. Schools may consider current tools including, but not limited to, behavioral intervention plans, social skills groups, and individually focused curricula. C. __Students with disabilities__. As required by M.G.L. c. 71B, § 3, as amended by Chapter 92 of the Acts of 2010, when the IEP Team determines the student has a disability that affects social skills development or the student may participate in or is vulnerable to bullying, harassment, or teasing because of his/her disability, the Team will consider what should be included in the IEP to develop the student's skills and proficiencies to avoid and respond to bullying, harassment, or teasing. D. __Referral to outside services__. Schools and districts should establish a referral protocol for referring students and families to outside services. Clear protocols will help students and families access appropriate and timely services. Referrals must comply with relevant laws and policies. Current local referral protocols should be evaluated to assess their relevance to the Plan, and revised as needed.
 * III. **** ACCESS TO RESOURCES AND SERVICES **