What’s new at Desert Sands Unified School District

Summer is over and students are back to school in the Desert Sands Unified School District.

The biggest district in the valley with just over 26,000 students spread out over 34 schools. News Channel 3 anchor Karen Devine caught up with DSUSD Superintendent Kelly May-Vollmar who told her a new batch of educators adds to the excitement of the new school year.

“Last week, we had 86 new certificated employees that were here for a full week of training,” May-Vollar said.

As Karen reported in 2022, addressing mental health needs and adding more resources has been a priority, including ‘peer support’ at La Quinta High School. This year there are some new additions.

“Now every single secondary school has a site-based mental health therapist that’s right there and can work with kids, can work with staff, and then we have a team of six that works with all of our elementary schools,” May-Vollar said.

Last year, Karen showed you how DSUSD added a QR code to student lanyards directing them to information on the dangers of fentanyl. And while there have always been emergency phone numbers, this year, two other QR codes have been added.

“One of those is the say something program, so they can, the first day of school, use their lanyard, scan that QR code, and they can make a report if they need to. The second QR code is a request for assistance. So if students need counseling services or want to refer a friend for counseling services,” May-Vollar said.

May-Vollmar said DSUSD's mission statement keeps them focused on what’s best for their students.

“That's to inspire and nurture every student, one opportunity at a time. And that’s what drives us so we're not only being reactive, but we're looking for ways that we can inspire students, nurture them, make sure they have everything that they need to be successful and thriving,” May-Vollmar said.