Tempe Union Governing Board Adopts New Wellness Policies

Press release from TUHSD:

June 22, 2021

June 17, 2021 – Tempe Union High School District’s Governing Board unanimously adopted a
key set of social-emotional wellness policies during their meeting on June 16.

The Governing Board had previously unanimously adopted a social-emotional wellness
resolution at their April 21 meeting. The resolution established an ad-hoc committee, chaired
by Board Member Armando Montero and composed of students, staff, parents, community
members and other stakeholders. The full text of the resolution can be found online here - PDF.

The committee presented the results during a special Governing Board meeting held on June 9,
2021, and the policies passed last night were a direct result of the committee’s work.

“We believe that this is the most comprehensive mental health policy for an educational
institution in Arizona,” said Montero. “This makes Tempe Union a statewide leader in this
important topic and reflects the deeply important message to our students and staff that we
care about their mental health.”

Superintendent Dr. Kevin Mendivil noted that the policies would have both an immediate and
long-lasting positive impact on both TUHSD students and staff.

“Board Member Montero led the charge on this important issue, and we also appreciate the
tremendous staff support from Assistant Superintendent Sean McDonald, and Ron Denne, our
Coordinator of Social and Emotional Wellness,” Dr. Mendivil said. “The ad-hoc committee came
together and worked hard to create this thoughtful set of policies that both support and
prioritize the social emotional work within the District.”

Governing Board President Brian Garcia, Vice President Andres Barraza, and members Berdetta
Hodge and Sarah James also expressed their enthusiasm and support for the new policies.

The full Board meeting is available to watch on Tempe Union’s YouTube channel (weblink). The
new policies will be available on the Arizona School Board Association’s policy website
(weblink) as soon as they are finalized.

This press release was produced by TUHSD. The views expressed here are the author’s own.