• Community Schools
   

Our mission with Community Schools at OCM BOCES is to ensure that school districts can make certain that every student is prepared and able to engage in their education without having their struggles or unmet needs act as a barrier to their academic, social, and emotional success. CS does that by building safe, supportive and responsive learning environments for our most precious community members by ensuring equitable access to resources, bringing prevention to the forefront, and strengthening families by bridging community connections.

• Dignity Act & Mental Health
   

OCM BOCES administers the Dignity Act and Mental Health Service through the Consultant Support Services Department. This Coser assists school districts in building safe and supportive school climate free of bullying, harassment and discrimination, which ensure that the mental health and wellness of all students and staff are addressed in a comprehensive manner.

Examples of services included in this COSER:

• Training for new and returning Dignity Act Coordinator


• Access to annual online Dignity Act and online annual Training for all school staff and accompanying completion data


• Workshops, consultation, technical assistance and coaching related to the provision of a safe and supported school climate through the development of Multi-tiered Systems of Support, and the implementation of evidence or research based programs within a tiered model of support such as; Restorative Practices, Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports, Trauma-Sensitive Schools, Suicide Safety for School Staff, Crisis intervention, Alcohol and other Drug Prevention, Youth Mental Health First Aid as well as training related to supporting special populations

• Home Instruction
   

For families who elect to educate their child(ren) at home, the Home Instruction service provides participating districts and families with comprehensive support and communication throughout the school year to ensure compliance with NYSED Home Instruction requirements.

• Itinerant
   

Itinerant staff members are professionals who provide shared services to two or more school districts. OCM BOCES serves as the employer and as such coordinates the recruiting, hiring, budgeting and supervision of staff to be shared by the requesting districts. Itinerants services are based on the needs of districts and can include, but are not limited to the following positions: Speech Language Pathologist, School Social Worker, School Counselor and English as a New Language (ENL) Teacher.

• MTSS
   

Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) is an evidenced based framework that allows schools to focus on prevention, early identification, and integration of supports across mental health, behavior, social -emotional and academic domains to meet the needs of our young people as a whole. MTSS helps educators to be thoughtful about using resources appropriately and impactfully. It also allows the use of data to continually monitor and improve the effectiveness of their actions. MTSS makes the district-wide system more effective and ensures we’re supporting the needs of every student.

• Professional Learning for LMHC, LMSW & LCSW
   

OCM BOCES is a NYS Education Department Division of Mental Health approved provider for CEU's for mental health workers and is also a NYS Education Department Division of Social Work approved provider for CEU's for social workers.