Schools

School-based Supports and Interventions in Rural Counties Integrated Care Rounds (August 2026)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

NC InCK’s August 2026 Integrated Care Rounds focused on access to school-based supports in rural counties and the key role schools play for rural families.

Click this link for the August 2026 Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • In rural communities, access to care can be challenging as resources tend to be more limited or spread out, and many families don’t have access to reliable transportation. Schools are playing an increasingly important role in addressing gaps in behavioral health and social needs by partnering with local organizations who meet students where they are to provide meaningful services.
  • Care managers can play a key role in helping families understand and connect to supports available through their local school community. Teachers, counselors, administrative staff, and student support services faculty are key school partners who you can connect with to learn more about these resources and enroll in them.
  • Many adolescents today are navigating issues related to their family, social media, peer/romantic relationships, health related social needs, and other local community stressors. School-based mental health programs can guide youth through these challenges with referrals and a range of services like psychiatric consults, therapy, medication management, parent workshops, and other in-person or telehealth providers.
  • Young people have the right to honest reproductive health information and the necessary tools to protect themselves and safeguard their health. In North Carolina, parents or guardians need to opt their students into these courses, and they are often supportive of them. Some high schools may offer trauma-informed sexual health education courses where students can learn about families, relationships, puberty, anatomy, sexually transmitted infections, sex trafficking, and many other important topics such as self-advocacy.

Supporting Families in the School System​ Integrated Care Rounds (March 2026)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

NC InCK's March 2026 Integrated Care Rounds discuss navigating school services for students and their families. This session shares helpful resources that care managers and providers can use to assist families.

Click this link for the March 2026 Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Encourage families to request interpreters in advance and ask for clarification before signing documents. Schools must provide families with qualified interpreters at meetings, key documents in the family’s language when possible, and full understanding before consent is signed. Students and untrained staff should not be used as interpreters. 
  • Care managers can play a key role in helping families understand their rights and prepare for school meetings: Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), parents have the right to request evaluations at any time, provide consent before services begin, and receive evaluation reports in advance of meetings. Parents are also entitled to participate as equal members of the IEP team and may request independent evaluations or pursue dispute resolution options if they disagree with school decisions. 
  • Be alert to patterns where behavioral issues are addressed without evaluating academic needs and support families in advocating for appropriate services and protections: Students with disabilities are about twice as likely to be suspended, with even higher rates for students with emotional disabilities and for students of color. 
  • Care managers should actively coach families to submit written requests (email is sufficient) for special education evaluations. Families have the right to request evaluations at any time—and it should be in writing. This creates documentation, triggers timelines, and increases accountability from the school. 

Resources

Schools Part 2 Integrated Care Rounds (September 2023)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

The NC InCK team discussed school supports, collaboration, and holistic care management during their second conversation about Schools in the September 2023 Integrated Care Rounds.

Click this link for the September 2023 Schools Integrated Care Rounds Slide Deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Family Navigators are Connectors: Due to the large amount of time students spend in school, collaborating with the school system can help increase access to services that address social, behavioral, and health needs. School personnel are with the student daily and can help a family accept a referral or engage in care management.  
  • Family Navigators are Advocates: School supports such as Individualized Education Program (IEP) and Section 504 Plans are underutilized in North Carolina! In the U.S., NC ranks 46th in providing appropriate in-school support and accommodations for children with mental health needs and 50th in suspending children with disabilities. These statistics disproportionally affect Black students. Effectively communicating a child’s educational needs empowers families to speak up if they are not being met. 
  • Family Navigators Understand: Asking the right questions, and listening to children and families can reveal challenges such as bullying, housing insecurity, absenteeism and more. Understanding these experiences will ensure holistic care management supports are in place. 

 

Resources

  • NC Center for Afterschool Programs – Website that allows you to search for afterschool programs by zip code and filter by grades served and activities offered. 
  • Just U & Me Mentoring Program – A mentoring program that engages Vance County fifth-grade students in social-emotional intervention strategies that will help them improve classroom participation and academic success; meets weekly on Saturdays from 9am – 12pm. 
  • Durham Performance Learning Center – A program that helps high school students who aren't succeeding in traditional school get back on track for graduation in small classes with 1:15 teacher student ratio. Students may be recommended by current/ previous school, but families can apply independently as well. 
  • ICR Appendix – Several resources listed including IEP/ Special Education Guides, before and after school programs, school resources by NC InCK County, and education related Value Added Benefits offered through each PHP.

Schools Integrated Care Rounds (April 2022)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

The April 2022 Schools Integrated Care Rounds event shares student and family perspectives and outlines why schools are an integral part of a child's care team and community. The NC InCK team and our guests discussed how children can thrive in schools and what we can all do to support children.

Click this link for the April 2022 Schools Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Many supports exist for students in schools. Services all students are eligible for include teacher intervention and muti-tiered system of support. Services students must qualify for include 504 Plans and Individualized Education Plans. 
  • Family Navigators can help students and families connect to school-based resources through communication with key personnel and participation in meetings already taking place within the school (e.g., IEP/504 Meetings, parent/teacher conferences). 
  • Family Navigators should center the student and family in conversations with schools, with families initiating communication and Family Navigators playing the role of “strengths-bringer” to any school space. 

Resources

Summer Supports Integrated Care Rounds (April 2023)

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

Description

The NC InCK team and our guests discussed summer activities for children, summer meals, and Medicaid renewal during the April 2023 Summer Supports Integrated Care Rounds event.

Click this link for the April 2023 Summer Supports Integrated Care Rounds slide deck.

Key Takeaways

  • Summertime can lead to numerous negative outcomes for children experiencing poverty, including academic loss, increased food insecurity, and unhealthy behavior. 
  • High-quality summer enrichment programs can improve academic, mental health, and physical health for children. 
  • This training includes camps and public programs offered through libraries, county parks and recreation, and cooperative extension offices in each of NC InCK’s five counties as well as guidance on how to learn about summer meal sites in a family’s area. 

Resources

Additional Online Camp Finder Tools:

  1. NC Site Finder-Summer Meals for Children
  2. NC Summer Camp Directory for Children with Special Needs 

For information on some Utility and Financial Assistance Programs through NCDHHS: 

  1. Low Income Energy Assistance Program (LIEAP)
  2. Crisis Intervention Program (CIP)
  3. Emergency Assistance (Short-Term Financial Assistance for Families in Crisis)/TANF
  4. Low Income Household Water Assistance Program (LIHWAP) 

Enhanced ePASS Account Tips 

Foster Care Guide for Schools

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

The ABC Science Collaborative and NC InCK developed the Foster Care Guide for Schools, which is designed to serve as a quick reference tool for school social workers and others in North Carolina schools who may need to connect students and families with foster care-related community services and resources.

Early Childhood Guide for Schools

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

The ABC Science Collaborative and NC InCK developed the Early Childhood Guide for Schools, which is designed to serve as a quick reference tool for school social workers and others in North Carolina schools who may need to connect students and families with early childhood-related community services and resources.

Child Protective Services Guide for Schools

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

The ABC Science Collaborative and NC InCK developed the Child Protective Service (CPS) Guide for Schools, which is designed to serve as a quick reference tool for school social workers and others in North Carolina schools who may need to connect students and families with child welfare-related community services and resources.

Behavioral Health Guide for Schools

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

The ABC Science Collaborative and NC InCK developed the Behavioral Health Guide for Schools, which is designed to serve as a quick reference tool for school social workers and others in North Carolina schools who may need to connect students and families with behavioral health-related community services and resources.

Public Health Guide for Schools

Posted on by manda.hufstedler@duke.edu

The ABC Science Collaborative and NC InCK developed the Public Health Guide for Schools, which is designed to serve as a quick reference tool for school social workers and others in North Carolina schools who may need to connect students and families with public health-related community services and resources.