Schools prioritizing mental health

SANDUSKY — A state mental health group reported a stark increase in collaborations between Ohio school districts and mental health providers — and local districts appear to be following that same trend. According to an article from the Ohio Captial Journal, Ohio's school-based behavioral health partnerships have gone up more than 200% since 2017, according to the Ohio Council of Behavioral Health & Family Service Providers, which represents 165 private providers in the state. Local districts reported that mental health has become an increasingly pressing issue among its student bodies. To combat the challenges associated with mental health, districts partner with local health agencies to work with the students. These partnerships assist districts and students in various ways, including on-site counseling and social workers if extra support is needed. Several local school districts discussed how they approach students' mental health: Port Clinton Schools Jan Gluth, Port Clinton's director of student, staff and community development, said the district has been proactive in mental and social well-being. In 2019 the state of Ohio established K-12 standards for social and emotional learning. Port Clinton Schools received grants for a Social Emotional Learning Day, speakers and survey programs such as Panorama. Educators and school counselors across the district survey students' health. When problems are identified, students are put into small groups to deal with anxiety, stress, anger and coping skills. Each district building has a school counselor with an additional social worker at the intermediate and elementary school and a social services counselor at the high school. Additional service options are offered to families through Firelands Health, Bayshore Counseling Services, Unity and other local agencies. Port Clinton Schools also organized a symposium for educators and other professionals to cultivate ideas on the topic. "Attendees discuss and learn about practices that inspire all educators, administrators and their students to be compassionate leaders and resilient learners," Gluth said. "They were also able to witness our annual student wellness day at (Port Clinton High School)." Huron Schools Superintendent James Tatman said students' behavioral health needs have increased and his district is working to address them in several ways. "Schools are tasked with many demands and limited resources," Tatman said. "We put focus on students' social-emotional needs because when students come to school feeling safe and cared for they can focus on learning and growth." Since the 2020-21 school year, Huron Schools brought on additional school counseling. There were originally two counselors and now there are four working district-wide. To make the greatest impact, the district shifted its resources for these positions to target services for students' needs. The high school and middle school used to share two counselors but there are now three covering the grade levels, which allows for more services for college, career and social-emotional programming, Tatman said. The district also increased education on the topic. Its health classes use the Botvin curriculum, which, according to its social media, is a prevention program focused on alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, opioids and other drug abuse and violence. Tatman said the district used grant resources from the Erie County Health Department for this curriculum. Students also learn about social-emotional learning from a program called Sources of Strength. Source of Strength is a program focused on mental health promotion and suicide prevention. These materials were provided by grants from the Ohio Suicide Prevention Foundation, Prevention First, and the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services. To further support its students, Huron works with regional agencies for their services. The district uses Family Health Services to provide mental health providers on campus. This means, with parents' consent, students can meet with social workers during the school day. The provider can also consult with district staff to help the student succeed not only at school but at home as well, Tatman said. Margaretta Schools In 2020, Margaretta Schools partnered with Family Health Services. According to Kathy Hall, the district's school psychologist, Family Health Services provides students across the district with individual counseling. Service started with about 30 students in 2021 and increased to over 100 by the spring of 2023. Hall said Family Health Services has been instrumental in offering students screening, treatment and crisis intervention services. They also engage students with mental health awareness activities, offer informational open houses to families about their services, are involved in the Source of Strength initiative and give support during crises. Coming this fall, Margaretta Schools will start working with Bayshore Counseling Services. This partnership will focus on preventative care, offer behavioral consultation and mental health prevention services for prekindergarten through third-grade students. "These valuable partnerships and on-site services have significantly enhanced our students' access to essential mental health support," Hall said. Along with these outside partners, the district buildings have school counselors who work with the elementary, middle and high school levels. One of the counselors joined the district through a partnership with North Point Educational Service Center which secured a federal mental health grant to better the mental health resources within local schools. "This collaboration has been essential in ensuring that our students receive immediate and effective support when needed," Hall said. Clyde Schools Superintendent Lucas Messer said anxiety, depression, stress and social and peer relationships are the most common challenges with students in his district. He believes general stress, life events, social pressures and relationships with peers are a few factors contributing to these challenges. The Clyde-Green Springs districts have worked with multiple agencies to face its challenges including Family Life Counseling, NOMS Healthcare and Firelands Counseling for five years. "All of these counseling services work with students and families regularly as counseling appointments are scheduled both inside and outside of school hours," Messer said. "NOMS also partners with us in providing a social worker for our district that provides support to families in need." Sandusky Schools Sandusky Schools has had a five-year partnership with Family Health Services and a two-year partnership with Ohio Guidestone. Family Health Services has brought essential services into the district buildings while Ohio Guidstone has counseling options on-campus and in the community, according to information provided by the district's student services department. Students have access to on-campus physical and mental health thanks to the district and its partnerships. In each building, Family Health Services has individual counseling and general healthcare. Ohio Guidestone offers group and individual counseling sessions. The community has worked hard to expand students' and families' access to mental health services. "While on-site partnerships have helped reduce wait times, there is still room for improvement. Ensuring consistent access to care remains a priority," information from the department states. The student services department believes staff stability within the agencies, the availability of home and intensive care options, access to intensive outpatient programs, language accessibility, understanding of alternative funding and effective communication with the mental health board all influence the delivery of mental health services. "The mental health landscape is continually evolving. While societal attitudes toward mental health have progressed, factors such as the COVID-19 pandemic have presented new challenges," the department said. "Access to mental health services, particularly in suburban areas outside major cities, can be influenced by insurance coverage and the availability of mental health providers." Perkins Schools Sarah Bowerman, a social worker for Perkins Schools, described the mental health field as a revolving door with providers which can be difficult for students. "Mental health is a growing issue in our community with limited resources at times, which leads to strain on the agencies addressing the issues," Bowerman said. "We also meet families who struggle to understand that they may need help, struggle getting access to that help, and struggle with follow-through due to things sometimes out of their control." Bowerman believes families are under a lot of stress and have other priorities than managing their mental health. Families are fighting what she calls "in-the-moment fires" meaning they do not consider long-term results and goals. To support its students and their families, Perkins Schools partners with several agencies for mental health needs. The district's main agencies are Bayshore, Ohio Guidestone and Family Life Counseling which has collaborated with Perkins Schools for four years. Bowerman said these partnerships provide one-on-one counseling and social-emotional groups during the school day. "We are so thankful for the agencies that come into our buildings to meet our kids where they are," Bowerman said. "This has helped families and students access care that they need during their school day which takes stress off of families to find transportation, time, etc."