“We’re very intentional about building socialemotional support around our students,” says Dr. Rob McElligott, Director of Student Services. Each building in the district offers students access to two social workers, a school psychologist, as well as access to specialized behavior support. The district has invested in additional behavior specialist FTE, currently one-and-a-half positions, to address both crisis situations and prevention.Those specialists coach classroom teachers on building strong structures, routines, and community. District-wide, students benefit from the Second Step social-emotional learning curriculum, and the district is implementing the RULER approach developed by the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence—an evidence-based framework that supports emotional literacy for both adults and students. One of the district’s most beloved initiatives is its facility dog program. “We recently launched a full-time facility dog in District 27,” notes Miehl. “He supports across all tiers—doing whole-class lessons, working with small groups in speech or social work sessions, and being present during moments of crisis to help calm and de-escalate.” At the classroom level, the district leans heavily into differentiation, inclusive practices, and data-driven problem-solving. Teams meet regularly to review student data and determine who might benefit from additional interventions or supports. Like AI, inclusive practices are being advanced through a cohort model and focused professional development. An upcoming PD day in January is dedicated entirely to inclusive practices, ensuring that staff across the system share a common language and toolkit for meeting diverse learning needs. INVESTING IN FACILITIES FOR THE FUTURE Behind the scenes, Northbrook School District 27 is backed by a community that believes in its schools and proves it at the ballot box. 304 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL VOLUME 06, ISSUE 12
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