Simle Middle School Model

Simle Middle School in Bismarck has become a North Dakota example of how a school can build mental-health care into the school day instead of sending students elsewhere. (hhs.nd.gov, news.sanfordhealth.org) The model started with North Dakota’s Prevention and Early Intervention Pilot Grant, which state health officials say Simle began in October 2018. Sanford Health then launched its behavioral-health partnership with the school in October 2019. (hhs.nd.gov, news.sanfordhealth.org) At Simle, the structure is a Multi-Tiered System of Supports, or MTSS: Tier 1 for all students, Tier 2 for some students, and Tier 3 for a few students with intensive needs. Simle says Tier 2 typically serves 15% to 20% of students, while Tier 3 serves fewer than 5%. (simle.bismarckschools.org) For Tier 3 students, Sanford placed a psychologist at the school for one-on-one meetings. Sanford said the school-based setup reduced barriers to access because students could receive behavioral-health services on campus. (news.sanfordhealth.org) The school’s own presentation to the North Dakota Children’s Cabinet tied the model to discipline data. Simle reported 905 major discipline referrals in 2014-15, before MTSS, and 199 in 2022-23, with the share of students receiving a major referral falling from 24% to 8%. (hhs.nd.gov) State officials have framed Simle as a pilot site, not a one-off program. North Dakota Health and Human Services says the grant was designed to test “a fully integrated continuum of support” that other schools could adapt. (hhs.nd.gov) That scale-up effort now includes a public toolkit. North Dakota Health and Human Services says the Simle team helped create phase-by-phase materials for schools, starting with behavior expectations and documentation systems before adding Tier 2 and Tier 3 supports. (hhs.nd.gov, behavioralhealth.x-shops.com, behavioralhealth.x-shops.com) Simle’s 2024 presentation said the lessons were practical: find outside partners, sort out billing and location, and build Tier 1 and Tier 2 before adding an on-site provider. The school also said financial cost had been minimal and that the next step was working with other schools, districts, and policymakers. (hhs.nd.gov) The result is a school-based model with a state grant, a health-system partner, and a referral ladder inside one middle school building. That is the version North Dakota officials are pointing to when they talk about expanding student behavioral-health support beyond Simle. (hhs.nd.gov, hhs.nd.gov)