Wayne-Westland Community Schools

10 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 4, ISSUE 12 really came around mental health.” Dr. Dignan highlights the value of the Care Solace program in providing mental health support for students and their families. This holistic approach ensures that mental health is a central focus, with a dedicated effort to address concerns and connect individuals with appropriate resources. “In the past, it used to be a counselor who would give you a sheet with numbers to get help. We never knew, as a school, whether or not people were getting the help they needed,” he conveys. “Now we do. We actually get monthly reports and data analytics on our families. We call them warm handoffs; when we make a warm handoff to Care Solace, we get data and follow up to make sure that our students and their families are getting the care that they need.” A Vision for the Future Looking ahead, Dignan underscores the ongoing focus on providing career pathways for students while supporting students and families, especially those navigating higher education for the first time. The district aims to polish existing initiatives, making them more accessible and impactful for the diverse student population it serves. He declares, “The legacy of our school district will be the definition of how our kids do in the real world, whether it’s going into the military, jumping into a job, going to a four-year school, or picking up a skilled trade.” PREFERRED VENDOR/ PARTNER n Communications by Design, Inc. cbdconsulting.com