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5 Ways Peer-Led Prevention Strengthens Your MTSS
Reading time: 5 minutes
A supportive school culture doesn’t happen by accident. It’s built through everyday interactions, meaningful relationships, and intentional opportunities for students to connect with one another and the adults who support them.
Schools already have important structures in place to support student well-being. Multi-Tiered Systems of Supports (MTSS) brings these efforts together, helping schools provide different levels of support based on students’ needs.
But what if schools could strengthen these efforts by tapping into one of their greatest resources: the students themselves?
While educators play an essential role in recognizing and responding to student needs, peer-led prevention can add another layer of protection. By equipping students to recognize when a classmate might be struggling, offer encouragement, and connect peers with trusted adults, schools can expand opportunities for students to feel seen, supported, and connected to help.
In the edWebinar Strengthen MTSS Through Peer-Led Prevention: Reaching Every Student, Tiffany Sommerfeld, Director of Academic Advising & Counseling at Belton Independent School District in Texas; Shannon Toney, Bureau of Justice Assistance Stop School Violence Grant Coordinator at Billings Public School District in Montana; and Dr. Gregory Hudnall, Founder of Hope Squad, explored how peer-led prevention can complement existing school support systems.
Their discussion highlighted a central idea: Student well-being is strongest when students, trusted adults, and schoolwide systems work together.
Takeaway 1: Shift from reactive responses to proactive prevention
Schools need effective ways to respond when students are struggling. But they can also take steps to create environments where students feel connected and know where to turn for help before concerns escalate.
Peer-led prevention helps schools build that foundation by encouraging everyday connection, strengthening relationships, and making it easier for students to recognize when a classmate might need support.
These interactions can contribute to a school culture where asking for help is encouraged, and students know they don’t have to navigate challenges alone. Prevention becomes part of the everyday school experience—not just a response when something goes wrong.
Tiffany Sommerfeld, Director of Academic Advising and Counseling at Belton ISD, described this shift as a fundamental change in how her district approached student well-being:
"What the mind shift changed was from going from that reaction mode to that prevention mode."
Takeaway 2: Empower students to connect peers with help
Students often have more insight into their peers’ experiences and relationships than adults do. With appropriate support and guidance, students can play an important role in recognizing concerns and helping classmates access support.
Dr. Gregory Hudnall, founder of Hope Squad, explained why peer nomination is such an important part of this approach:
"Peer-led prevention strengthens that identification process through peer nomination because they know who to go to."
However, peer-led prevention does not mean asking students to become counselors or take responsibility for another student’s safety.
Instead, students learn to recognize potential warning signs, offer support within appropriate boundaries, and connect peers with trusted adults who can help.
This distinction is essential: Students can be powerful connectors to help, but adults remain responsible for providing appropriate support and responding to safety concerns.
Takeaway 3: Make trusted adults part of the plan
Students need to know not only how to recognize when someone might be struggling, but also where to turn for help.
Schools can strengthen their support systems by intentionally identifying and preparing trusted adults, building relationships between students and staff, and ensuring clear processes are in place when concerns arise.
For administrators, this means creating the conditions that allow peer-led prevention to thrive. School staff need clear roles, and students need confidence that adults will listen and respond appropriately.
When these elements work together, peer connection becomes part of a broader schoolwide approach rather than an isolated initiative.
Takeaway 4: Build a culture that reaches every student
An effective prevention approach considers the needs and experiences of the entire school community.
Family engagement, inclusive participation, and opportunities for students across grade levels to connect can help schools broaden their reach. Student voice is an important part of creating a culture where every student feels seen and supported. As Tiffany Sommerfeld advised school leaders:
"Listen to your students. They have a voice and it's so powerful."
When schools intentionally consider who is participating, who feels connected, and who might be overlooked, they can work toward a more inclusive culture of support.
Families also play an important role. Keeping caregivers informed and engaged helps reinforce the message that student well-being is a shared responsibility.
Takeaway 5: Make peer-led prevention part of your existing MTSS framework
Peer-led prevention is most effective when it works alongside the support systems schools already have in place.
Within an MTSS framework, universal prevention education can help establish a foundation of awareness, connection, and help-seeking for all students. Peer-led support adds another pathway to connect students in need with trusted adults, while targeted interventions and individualized support remain essential for students who need additional assistance.
Shannon Toney of Billings Public Schools described the potential for peer-led prevention to become part of a school's broader MTSS approach:
"I see such amazing opportunities for Hope Squad to just to be a part of all the tiered conversation."
When schools intentionally connect peer-led work with established processes, they can create a more comprehensive approach to student well-being.
Hope Squad supports a schoolwide approach
Putting these elements into practice requires more than just encouraging students to look out for each other. Schools need a structure that equips students, prepares adults, and connects peer support to existing systems.
Hope Squad is built for exactly that: A peer-to-peer suicide prevention program that gives students the structure, the skills, and the trusted adults to turn peer connection into mental health support.
Through prevention education for all students and an added layer of support through peer-nominated Members, Hope Squad helps schools make connection and early support part of their broader approach to student well-being.
By working alongside existing school systems, Hope Squad can strengthen connections between students, trusted adults, and the resources available throughout the school community.
Ready to explore how Hope Squad can complement your MTSS framework?
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