Although Clark-Pleasant has guidance counselors, social workers and educational psychologists, none of them are trained to handle mental health issues extensively – most focus on academics and helping families find resources outside the school.
But some families can’t afford therapy or their insurance may not cover it, said Kristy Boone, a guidance counselor at Whiteland Elementary School.
She focuses primarily on discipline problems, she said. Instead of students being sent to the principal or assistant principal, many of them are sent to Boone who works with the student and their families to develop a behavior plan. It’s a step in the right direction, Boone said. But she is not licensed to diagnose or treat anyone.
In fact, none of the counselors are. The educational psychologist can diagnose educational deficiencies and treat those, but not mental health problems such as anxiety or depression.
Clark-Pleasant schools wants to do more. If voters vote yes on the referendum question Nov. 6, mental health counselors will be hired and paid for with the additional tax dollars.
If approved, it would increase property taxes in the district by 10 cents for every $100 of assessed value for eight years.
Altogether, it would raise about $1.5 million per year for eight years for the school district to hire more school resource officers, implement a new and improved security monitoring system and hire mental health counselors.
In the first year, the district would spend $300,000 to $400,000 on a mental health program, which would allow them to hire two trained, licensed therapists or crisis counselors who would be able to diagnose students and work with them on long-term solutions to their problems that may not be academic.
The percent of funds the district would put towards that program would increase each year, Spray said. Security has the highest start-up costs, but once new programs are implemented, the district would be able to focus more of those dollars on the mental health program.
"We want to try to really create that safety net for not only students, but families. The mental health system is very hard to navigate and know where to get help when you need it," Spray said.
"What we don’t have right now is somebody who is focused specifically on social and mental health of students."
The program would allow the district to keep tabs on students who have displayed aggressive behaviors, help students who have been hospitalized for a mental health issue transition back into school and help families navigate the outside resources that are available if necessary.
"Follow-up is so big," Spray said. "Out in Littleton, they strongly believe that their program saved six lives last year."
Four school officials traveled to Littleton, Colorado two weeks ago to examine the kind of mental health program they hope the referendum will allow them to build.
“The old traditional model of just having a guidance counselor who focuses on college and career-type things and scheduling is really out of date,” said Nate Thompson, Littleton’s director of Social, Emotional and Behavioral Services.
“Schools are the heartbeat in a community. We have to be involved in promoting social and emotional wellness.”
In Littleton schools, several clinical psychologists focus on non-academic issues such as anger control, anxiety and grief and loss, in addition to the work of traditional school counselors.
Some of what a student needs can be handled within the school. But if they need intense, long-term therapy, the mental health staff is able to help families find that and, in some cases, pay for it with money raised by the district’s educational foundation, Thompson said.
"There has to be a balance. Yes, a school district’s primary job is education. But kids don’t just drop their emotional issues at the door. If you have a kid who is not well mentally or emotionally in the classroom, that’s not good for anybody," he said.
Boone sees it everyday, she said.
At the elementary level, there is a greater focus on students’ social and emotional needs. But still, no one within the district can diagnose a child. And at the high school level, a guidance counselor’s focus has to be on scheduling and college preparation, she said.
"There is a tremendous need for mental health in our community. We want to be able to raise and send people out into the world who are not only academically successful, but can have a quality of life. Our job is to produce happy, healthy adults," Boone said.
"Mental health is equally as important. We can’t continue focusing just on the academic piece. There is no one to actually treat a child, and that’s a big barrier for parents because it’s so hard to navigate that system."
