(4) Each plan shall provide for an Innovation Initiative, designed to encourage innovative and comprehensive approaches based on strategies identified in the research literature to be effective. The Innovation Initiative must be utilized by school districts to implement innovative approaches designed to improve student learning and accelerate the performance of all students. Funds may be expended on strategies in one or more of the following four categories:

• (a) new approaches to what and how students learn by changing schooling in ways that provide a creative, flexible, and challenging education for all students, especially for those at risk. Performance-based outcomes which support a pedagogy of thinking and active approaches for learning must be supported;
• (b) applying different teaching methods permitting professional educators at every level to focus on educational success for all students and on critical thinking skills and providing the necessary support for educational successes are encouraged;
• (c) redefining how schools operate resulting in the decentralization of authority to the school site and allowing those closest to the students the flexibility to design the most appropriate education location and practice;
• (d) creating appropriate relationships between schools and other social service agencies by improving relationships between the school and community agencies (health, social, mental health), parents and the business community, and by establishing procedures that cooperatively focus the resources of the greater community upon barriers to success in school, particularly in the areas of early childhood and parenting programs, after-school programs, and adolescent services.

(A)

• (1) There is created a school safety task force to:

• (a) examine the various funding streams for school-based mental health services and determine how these streams may best be utilized in order to provide more accessible and efficient delivery of mental health programs;

• (b) examine school mental health staffing ratios and provide suggestions that allow for the full delivery of services and effective school-community partnerships, including collaboration between school districts;

• (c) develop Standard for district level policies to promote effective school discipline and mental health intervention services;

• (d) examine current intra— and interagency collaboration and suggest ways to improve cooperation; and

• (e) examine how to best support multitiered systems of support.

• (2) Any recommendations made by the task force must be revenue neutral.

• (3) The task force shall report its findings and make recommendations concerning proposed changes to the General Assembly.

2020 South Carolina Health Plan