The Boulder Valley school board heard an update at Tuesday’s meeting about the district’s high school Wellness Centers and also received a preview of upcoming mental health program research planned at the centers.

The Wellness Centers use soft lighting, relaxing music, comfortable seating and sensory and fidget toys to give students a quiet space to recharge, calm down after a panic attack or talk through anxiety.

Boulder Valley opened the first Wellness Center at Louisville’s Monarch High using grant money in response to the Marshall Fire. With financial support from the nonprofit group Impact on Education, which supports the school district, the district added five more last school year. Along with Monarch, there are Wellness Centers at Boulder, Centaurus, Fairview, Nederland and New Vista high schools.

Each school is assigned two mental health advocates, with one advocate dedicated to the wellness room.

Arica Avila, the mental health advocate working in Monarch High’s Wellness Center, said she serves as an additional support for students.

“Sometimes, it’s just a student who is having a really bad day,” Avila said. “You can just see the tears start to fall when they come in. It’s the one place they feel like they can cry and be upset. Sometimes, it’s a student who just wants to have a moment to take a deep breath.”

Along with providing support, Avila said, she provides accountability so teachers can feel comfortable sending students who are struggling to the center during class. While students can stay as long as they need during lunch or an off period, she said, she tries to limit out-of-class visits to 15 minutes.

“If a student needs to take a break, it’s not about avoiding class,” she said. “They can’t just disappear.”

Helping the district evaluate the effectiveness of the Wellness Centers is the Renee Crown Institute at the University of Colorado Boulder. Boulder Valley began partnering with the center last school year to help the district evaluate its mental health programs as it grapples with increased needs coupled with reduced funding.

The Crown Institute started by collecting data on the Wellness Centers, which researchers described as a promising model in addressing an ongoing mental health crisis for young people.

Last school year, the centers recorded 13,541 visits by 1,760 students, which equals 23% of the schools’ enrolled students. Of those, 852 students returned more than twice. The grade levels most represented were freshmen and seniors.

About 43% of the students who visited stayed less than 30 minutes, while 42% stayed 30 minutes to an hour. Another 15% stayed more than an hour.

Of the students who took a climate survey and visited the Wellness Centers, more than 60% were likely to recommend the center to others and more than 80% reported feeling welcomed and supported. Students also reported that their mood improved following their visits.

About 77% of staff members also reported that the centers “probably” or “definitely” are beneficial for students. Staff members requested that the centers teach students skills that include coping skills, self regulation, self advocacy, stress management, dealing with anxiety, focus, self compassion and tools to regulate in class.

“There are real skills we can teach these young people to get them back into class,” said Julia Zigarelli, Crown Institute deputy director.

School board members said they would like to better understand how the centers are integrated in the schools, including how they support students with special education needs, as well as the expectations for the centers and their roles in the schools.

“It has so much potential,” said school board member Jorge Chavez.

The Crown Institute plans to continue to work with the school district to research more of its mental health programs this school year, as well as continuing its work with the Wellness Centers. The institute has developed surveys and recruited a youth council, with plans to administer surveys, hold focus groups and analyze the data in the coming months. Findings will be presented next summer.

“I’m excited for the work we will continue to do,” said Rob Anderson, Boulder Valley School District superintendent.