Kids, Screens & Mental Wellness in a Digital World

Every Day Counts: Jeff Pegues on Truancy and Chronic Absenteeism

In this engaging episode, Jeff Pegues, Assistant Superintendent in Parsons, Kansas, shares practical insights and real-world experiences tackling chronic absenteeism and truancy. Blending strategy with empathy, Jeff explores how schools can better support students, families, and communities to improve attendance and long-term success for every learner.

Kids, Screens & Mental Wellness in a Digital World

Host Julie welcomes Trish Backman, School Mental Health Coordinator for the Kansas State Department of Education, for a conversation about children, screen time, and mental wellness. Drawing on her experience as both a professional and a parent, Trish explores how screen use can affect kids' social and emotional development. She shares practical strategies for families and highlights encouraging success stories from schools taking bold steps to reclaim real human connection — reminding listeners that change starts with one conversation at a time.

Building Bridges: The School-Based Community Health Worker Model

In this episode, host and Telehealth ROCKS Communications Specialist Julie Freijat sits down with Program Manager Chase Koob to explore the transformative role of school-based community health workers (SB-CHWs) in addressing student and family wellbeing. Chase explains how CHWs serve as trusted bridges between communities and health systems. This episode covers the elements involved in the Telehealth ROCKS SB-CHW model, from thoughtful recruitment that prioritizes community connection to the importance of ongoing training and institutional support. Chase shares how CHWs address social determinants of health that directly impact learning, from housing to healthcare.