• Mental Health Advocacy Committee (MHAC)     

     Mission Statement:  

    The Mental Health Advocacy Committee (MHAC) is committed by empowering students, teachers, and the community through education and support of the social/emotional mental health of our youth, to lead to compassion, respect, and acceptance within our schools and community.

     Short Term Goals:

    1. Increase emotional support staff in all OJRSD buildings.
    2. Host programs every other month to help educate the OJR community of different topics under the Mental Health umbrella- anxiety, coping skills, suicide prevention, social media issues, drugs, family dynamics/coping skills, etc.
    3. Host in school assembly meetings for students and staff respective to the monthly topic.

     Long term Goals:

    1. Education: Students, teachers, support staff, parents and community and schools on mental health.
      a. 1. Social, Emotional and academic effect
             i. Differentiating between the symptoms of mental health disorders versus behavior disorders and recognizing how mental health symptoms present themselves including anxiety, depression,and suicide ideation,            etc. 
      b. 2. Self Advocacy
            i. Safe places and people
            ii.Confidence for speaking about feeling
      c. 3. Prevententative 
    1. Help to end the stigma of Mental Health 
    1. Continued ongoing resource collection and sharing