In summary
Although the youth mental health crisis is well-documented, most schools in California lack the resources, training, and capacity to identify and respond to concerns. Greater investment, such as money to hire more school counselors, could make a difference.
Guest commentary writing
Rebecca Pariso
Rebecca Pariso is a 7th grade math teacher and Teach Plus California policy fellow.
I got a call from John’s middle school on Monday afternoon.
“Mrs. Pariso, your child has expressed suicidal thoughts and has been cutting himself for the past two years.”
I froze in disbelief. How could this have happened? When I finally spoke to John (his name has been changed to protect his identity), he said he had contacted his elementary school counselor two years ago and showed him the cut. The counselor did nothing to help my senior year. There were no comments on the school health file and no reports were made to teachers or principals. Parents were not contacted.
The system that I valued so highly and trusted greatly let my family down.
Not just my son. One day, during class, I looked under one of my students, Jessica’s desktop, and saw a 6-inch utility knife. And in a moment when she felt as if time had stopped, she witnessed her actually slitting her wrist. I called the school counselor and front office for help. Fortunately, we were able to contact Jessica’s parents and begin the process of getting her help.
The challenge for educators like me is that there is no official protocol to help identify students like Jessica and ensure appropriate action is taken. More broadly, how can we create a supportive environment that promotes their emotional and psychological well-being?
After helping Jessica, I turned my attention back to the rest of the class and noticed that some students had tears in their eyes. I wrote her a hall pass so she could wait in line to speak to the next available counselor, and then she went back to her math class.
This was all I could do at the moment, but I wanted to be able to do more.
The youth mental health crisis is well-documented, and California youth are experiencing mental health issues at an alarming rate. These mental health concerns directly impact a student’s ability to learn, concentrate, and perform academically. With uneven and unpredictable education funding, California schools are forced to make difficult decisions about whether to cover the cost of mental health services or spend money on teachers and educational programs.
I believe that investing in mental health services across the state is an investment in the education of our children. Because addressing students’ mental health concerns will ensure that they are more likely to be engaged in their studies, participate in class, and achieve better academic outcomes.
One solution is to put some of that investment toward hiring school counselors. California schools average 527 students per counselor, more than double her recommended ratio of 250 to 1. After the fateful phone call about John, it turns out that the elementary school counselor had to split her time between multiple schools to meet communication with students. Counselor ratio. John got lost among hundreds of other children.
All schools should have appropriate student-to-counselor ratios, and counselors should not be responsible for serving multiple schools at the same time.
Another solution is to make investment funds part of teacher education and statewide professional development. Teachers interact with students every day and are often the first to notice changes in behavior or mood that may indicate an underlying mental health issue. Educating teachers will equip them with the knowledge to recognize these signs early, allowing for timely intervention and support.
Teachers who are educated about mental health can also create a supportive classroom environment where students feel safe talking about their feelings and seeking help if needed. This contributes to a positive school culture that prioritizes mental health and ensures that all students receive the support they need.
Equally important is passing state laws to ensure students at all grades receive the mental health resources they need. California education law requires all students to receive suicide prevention resources, but John did not receive the suicide prevention lifeline information. His mental state rapidly deteriorated when he was in the fourth grade, and by the time he was in the fifth grade he was already contemplating suicide.
Mental health concerns are not limited to middle and high schools, and we need to make sure elementary school students have access to the support they need.
Finally, common protocols should be developed for the steps educators, administrators, and school counselors should take when a mental health crisis occurs. Such steps ensure that all staff understand their roles and responsibilities, reducing the potential for confusion and miscommunication during a crisis situation.
This protocol should outline steps to maintain student privacy and confidentiality while ensuring parents and mental health professionals have access to the information they need.
After six years of intensive therapy and counseling, John told me he finally felt happy.
“I feel beautiful in my skin,” he said.
I am grateful that our family’s story has a happy ending. California must ensure that all children’s stories have the same ending.
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