“The Ottawa Community Schools Network (OCSN) is a partnership with the intermediate school district and multiple local school districts to implement a community schools program. OCSN provides school coordinators who assist with securing needed services and support to student and families including mental health treatment in the schools. [Mental Health] Millage funding helped to seed and now supports the OCSN partnership. OCSN provides school coordinators who assist with securing needed services and support to students and families including mental health treatment in the school setting.” – reference November 27, 2023, Community Mental Health (CMHOC) board meeting packet (p.11).
The OCSN receives $142,000 of annual funding that is allocated by Community Mental Health Ottawa County (CMHOC) and given to the Ottawa Area Intermediate School District (OAISD) to support the OCSN director position. The school coordinators, who operate in various school buildings throughout the county, are employed by the United Way and are under the direction of the OCSN coordinator.
Providing another year of funding to the OCSN was a controversial decision as it has been shown that this organization advocates for LGBTQ gender affirmation policies, implements transformative social emotional learning curriculum, and has lofty goals of creating community schools which are based on collectivist (communist) principles. The OCSN service agreement was originally scheduled for approval during the CMH November 27, 2023, meeting, but was postponed so the board had time to learn more about the initiative. During the December 18, 2023 CMH meeting, CMH Executive Director Lynne Doyle provided some background and information on the program. (2:50:50) “OCSN was started in 2017. It was a private project between CMH, the OAISD, and several schools. [] For many families, there is actually a barrier of getting their child to an appointment after school, so for some individuals, having that treatment available within the school is actually something that is very helpful to them. They don’t have to worry about making that appointment. [] There’s quite a bit of data that they collect. [] Overall, there were 316 referrals for mental health services for kids; 356 requests for clothing; 428 requests for food; and over 2000 households were provided those resources.”
Doyle also explained that herself, “and another CMH staff sit on OCSN’s executive team, along with personnel from the ISD and the schools that are participating.” Board members were confused about the governing structure of the program and asked several questions for clarification. Referring to the OCSN Coordinator, CMH board member and County Commissioner Gretchen Cosby asked (2:59:00), “who supervises that role?” Doyle responded, “the OAISD is who Angela [OCSN Coordinator] works for.”
(3:00:05) Board member Steven Rockman followed up. “I’m looking at the job description for a community school coordinator, and it says the employer of record is the Greater Ottawa County United Way. Is that who the coordinator is responsible to?” Doyle responded, “The United Way was only working as the fiduciary. They are not running the program. The coordinators are employed, at the moment, through the United Way; the director is employed by the ISD and does all the oversight for those staff.”
Commissioner Cosby asked, “Why are they paid by the United Way?” Doyle responded, “When the OCSN started, there was a desire to hire them outside of the school system. [] The program next year is moving to the schools, and those coordinators in school year 2024, the schools will actually employ all of those coordinators.”
Doyle’s reference to the change in program structure has to do with a $5.5 million, five-year grant from Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education) recently received by the OAISD, through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). According to the MLive article, "The grant funding will also provide resources to schools within the Ottawa Community Schools Network, which services 50 local businesses and community organizations, to continue to increase mental health support in schools sustainably and systematically." “The Ottawa Area ISD is one of only two school systems, and the only organization from Michigan, to receive the federal Project AWARE funding.”
Doyle also addressed the question, “Don’t schools have their own counselors? They do. [] The difference is OCSN coordinators focus on integrating those services and resources, identifying student needs, and coordinating those areas where there are needs. School counselors are primarily involved in academic guidance counseling, personal development, crisis response; so, I don’t think there is much of an overlap between the two.”
CMH board member Donna Bunce asked about OCSN coordinator qualifications. Doyle responded citing educational requirements such as a master’s degree. A few minutes later during the discussion, (3:04:20) board member Steven Rockman, further addressed the job qualifications. “Superficially, this sounds fine, but I’m looking at the job description for the school coordinator, and it just seems like everything is perverted and polluted by politics.” Reading from the job description Rockman stated, “What the school coordinator is supposed to do: Skills and abilities – social justice oriented and an advocate for inclusivity. I thought this was coordinating needs and supports for mental illness, but it has something to do with social justice and inclusivity. Primary responsibilities – build on community strengths and embrace diversity, and inclusion. Does that have something to do with coordinating these mental health needs?”
(3:09:24) Commissioner Cosby was concerned. “I just wish we could take the political stuff out of the program, and really make sure needs are attended to.”
(3:11:20) Rockman then addressed the Social Emotional Learning component of the OCSN. “The [Community School] Playbook is built on four pillars, and the focus of those pillars is on Social Emotional Learning (SEL), and that’s gotten to be quite controversial. The Collaborative for Academic Social Emotional Learning (CASEL) model, is the model of SEL that’s been implemented by Grand Haven Area Public Schools (GHAPS), and I suspect, will be just a matter of time before it gets implemented by these other schools that are associated with this; and this model employs, this is where the alarms go off, it employs a wheel of power and privilege. I don’t know how you can define that other than political. This model of SEL also states that SEL can help address various forms of inequity and empower young people and adults to co-create thriving schools that contribute to creating safe, healthy, and just communities. So, I’m wondering, are we just training these kids to become leftist, social justice activists?”
The vote to approve the OCSN service agreement providing funding for another year was close, (3:21:00) with four board members voting in favor of the agreement, three against, and one abstaining because she had missed the previous meeting and did not feel she had enough information on the topic.
Kleinjans – yes, Parnin – yes, Goldberg – yes, VanderSwag – yes, Ebel – No, Cosby – No, Rockman – No, Bunce – Abstain
Why is health care for children being incorporated into the education system? Parents are responsible for their children’s mental health care and medical needs. Just because a few parents have difficulty getting their children to health-related appointments does not mean mental health care providers should be operating within school districts for an entire student body, especially when their own literature seems to prioritize social justice. There is a myriad of other possible solutions to this problem. This overreach of the public health apparatus is not only happening in Ottawa County, but all over the state and country. Tax payers have not asked for this fundamental change in the structure of the educational system. It is being pushed on them through government grants and initiatives which equates to large sums of money awarded to stakeholders that benefit by building their entrenched networks at taxpayer expense. Until a large percentage of citizens stand-up and put a stop to this practice, government will continue to balloon and connected stakeholders will continue to line their pockets.