Student Voice is a nonprofit by-student for students that uses storytelling and partnership to advocate for student-driven solutions to educational inequity. One of their projects was to hold an important dialogue about the state of mental health in schools. These are some remarks they captured from students:
“I think mental health isn’t recognized as it should be. Not just in this high school. This is my third high school and I’ve seen it all three states I’ve lived in. It’s the same: they don’t recognize mental health as something that is important. They focus instead on keeping kids out of trouble but don’t think enough about our mental health.”
“At the beginning of the year in my English class, I did a speech about suicide and depression. During that class period everyone was really touched. At the end, we did a raise of hands of people who felt anxious at school and the majority raised their hands. We came to realize that it’s a big problem and asked, why is no one doing anything about this? With the help of our teacher we went to the principal, and he heard us. He promised he’d try to do something, but he never got back to us. And I think that that’s a really big problem because it’s such a big problem and it’s actually killing people. Why is no one doing anything about it?”
“The stigma is so ingrained with the people that we fear to ever spread it. So we keep it hidden within and we can’t really talk about it because we fear being judged.”
These student testimonials underscore the urge issue of student mental health. As professionals, advocates, and family champions, we must prioritize and take meaningful action to create environments where students feel safe to discuss their mental health concerns, leading to innovative solutions. This Lightbulb Moment will discuss the issue of student mental health in North Carolina, the challenges to improving the situation in North Carolina, what is being done, and a call to action for community solutions to improve conditions.
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State of Student’s Mental Health in NC
Mental health is a pillar of overall well-being. When it comes to education, a student’s mental well-being can have significant impacts on their ability to participate in school activities and achieve academic achievement. McMillen Health describes how mental health affects students’:
- Ability to learn in school,
- Academic achievement,
- Ability to build positive relationships,
- Physical health,
- And stress management.
To elaborate, Independent School Management (ISM) speaks to how 50% of students at every high school grade level cited depression, stress, and anxiety as obstacles to learning. Anxiety can make it difficult for students to study or attend classes, while depression can lead to decreased focus and concentration.
Student’s mental health also has compounding implications for school communities at large. Independent School Management (ISM) outlines how teachers can become overwhelmed by trying to manage students with mental health needs in the classroom setting, counseling centers and support specialists can, especially with limited staffing, can become overburdened with requests for help, and parents may be concerned about their child’s ability to succeed academically.
Child and adolescent mental health are increasingly being recognized as a national crisis in the United States due to its the impacts on academic and social development, in addition to its’ rising prevalence of mental health issues, insufficient access to mental health services, and long-term consequences. The NC Health News outlines the findings from the 2023 NC Child Health Report Card. The NC Child Health Report Card is released every two years by NC Child and North Carolina Institute of Medicine. The Report Card looks at 15 measures of child health, including mental health measures. From 2021 to 2023, the measures that looked at student’s mental health remained at an ‘F,’ the worse score possible. In terms of education, the grade dropped from a ‘C’ in 2021 to a ‘D’ in 2023. According to NC Child, more than 1 in 10 children ages 3-17 in North Carolina had a diagnosis of depression or anxiety in 2020, which is a 49% increase from 2016.
Additionally, more than 1 in 5 high school students report they have seriously considered attempting suicide. Inseparable, a mental health advocacy organization, also released a NC School Mental Health Report Card where it captures that North Carolina has met 25.6% of the nationally recommended minimum school mental health staffing levels for school psychologists, 36.2% of school social workers, and the most improvement in the category of school counselors. This lack of support can lead into exacerbating mental health issues for youth.
Given the critical role that mental health plays in a student’s overall well-being and academic success, it is alarming to see the persistent challenges and unsatisfactory grades in mental health and education, as highlighted by recent reports.
Despite some progress, significant barriers remain that inhibit the ability to comprehensively address students’ mental health. These barriers include insufficient staffing, geographic disparities with rural areas facing greater challenges, limited funding, and a lack of availability of mental health care and crisis intervention in public schools.
What is Being Done in NC
North Carolina has taken strides to try to elevate the mental well-being of students. Some initiatives that are in place to lessen the burden include:
- Changing Minds: The NC Youth Behavioral Health Action Plan. The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, enacted this plan in 2023 to address the urgent mental and behavioral health crisis facing youth in school. The strategies are designed to provide resources, build partnerships, and increase supports. Some of the investments include:
- Training school personnel to better recognize and respond to emerging behavioral health issues;
- Increasing capacity of schools to identify and address behavioral health needs through student-focused prevention and support services;
- Connecting schools and families with behavioral health partners in their community;
- Establishing school-based telehealth pilot programs;
- And flexible funding to local School Health Advisory Councils to support coalitions of parents, school staff, and community members.
- North Carolina Healthy Schools. The Department of Public Instruction and the State Board of Education created this dynamic initiative that is dedicated to “creating safe, vibrant, and supportive learning environments across the state.” The eight key components of this initiative include: comprehensive school health education, school health services, a safe physical environment, school counseling, psychological, and social services, physical education, nutrition services, school-site health promotion for staff, and family and community involvement in schools. In terms of mental health support, the initiative includes counseling resources, mindfulness practices, and stress management programs to ensure students’ emotional well-being.
- NC School Mental Health Initiative (NC SMHI). The NC DPI describes this as a multi-disciplinary partnership of stakeholders, including community mental health providers, educators, advocates, lawyers, university officials, and parents. The NC SMHI created “recommendations for equitable access to high quality and well-coordinated mental health and substance abuse services.” NC SMHI provides policy and legislative support and has regional networks to support with local implementation and understand local capacity-building.
While this is not a comprehensive list, these initiatives show North Carolina has a strong commitment to fostering a supportive and healthy educational and outside environment for students. Changing Minds Action Plan, North Carolina Healthy Schools, and the NC School Mental Health Initiative all actively address the mental and behavioral health needs and challenges of students. Nonetheless, due to the still unsatisfactory state of mental health for youth in North Carolina, improvements are still needed to properly serve our families.
Improving for the Future of Student’s Mental Health
One of the improvements can be made to a system that is already in place in North Carolina. In an interview captured by the American Psychological Association between a University of Washington school psychologist, Dr. Janine Jones and her husband Dr. Brent Jones, a superintendent of a large public school district are asked, “are there initiatives or innovations that you’d like to see implemented in more schools?,” Dr. Jones added:
“There is such great promise in the multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS model). In that model, tier-one services are available to everyone, regardless of need. That includes screening for mental health conditions and risks. Those that have a higher level of risk for a mental health need or disorder get tier-two interventions, which may be things like social support groups or other group interventions. Then in tier three, clinicians provide one-one-one intervention services to students with the greatest needs. A model like this with universal screening means we’re more likely to recognize that there’s a need for services and to provide supports much earlier.”
NC DPI explains how the framework encompasses academic, behavioral, social, and emotional instruction and support. The DPI states how, “NC MTSS employs a systems approach using data-drive problem-solving to maximize growth for all” through professional development, coaching, technical assistance, and resources. While the framework is accepted in North Carolina, an article from ParentPowered points out that one roadblock to overall success is active participation from families and the community. The article outlines how family and community education create proactive environments that can provide unique insights and supports for students. As professionals, advocates, and family professionals we need to be active participants in the MTSS and create avenues to engage families so students can fully reap the benefits of multi-level support.
In the previously mentioned conversation, when the doctors where asked, “Can community partners help address the demand?” Brent responded by saying:
“We absolutely need to rely on community partners. We have experts in schools that can provide services, but we as a school district aren’t necessarily experts in mental health support. We tend to have a one-size-fits-all model, but there’s a wide diversity of needs.”
To truly harness the potential of the MTSS framework and ensure that every student receives the support they need in North Carolina, professionals need to commit to fostering strong partnerships between schools, families, and community organizations. By actively engaging in this collaborative effort, we can create environments where students are mentally well and thriving in academically.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, students' mental health matters and requires a concentrated effort from all stakeholders to allow them to thrive both academically and emotionally. When we take a holistic approach, we can establish supportive environments where students feel safe and capable to discuss their mental health concerns and, consequently, get the help and resources they need. This is only possible when professionals, advocates, and family champions understand that when we work as a community, we can make the most significant impact.
If you have any questions or comments about the content in this Lightbulb Moment article, please get in touch with our Research Lead, Madeline Attianese, at mattianese@chsnc.org.
