Washington Local Schools chosen as part of pilot mental health program
15 school districts across the country have been chosen to participate in a mental health pilot program and Washington Local Schools is one of them. A new national pilot program is being launched to address the issue of mental health among children and teens. 15 school districts across the country have been chosen to participate in the initiative. The Jed Foundation, The School Superintendents Association, and 15 local school districts have teamed up to create a youth mental health and suicide prevention program for Pre-K through 12 students. Washington Local Schools is one of the 15 districts chosen for this program. Over the next two years, district leaders will meet with Jed experts to develop a plan to address problem areas and address social media, self-worth, bullying and social networks.
Pubblicato : 2 mesi fa di Brenna Nye in Health
TOLEDO, Ohio (WTVG) - Kids and teens continue to struggle with mental health. A new national pilot program is being launched to help. 15 school districts across the country have been chosen to participate and Washington Local Schools is one of them.
The goal of this initiative is to create a mental health plan that will address students’ needs in districts across the country.
The Jed Foundation, The School Superintendents Association and 15 school districts from across the country have teamed up to create a youth mental health and suicide prevention program for Pre-K through 12 students. Washington Local Schools is among the 15 districts to be chosen for this program.
“This is something that we’ve wanted to tackle for a long time and we feel like we do, but maybe not in a comprehensive approach,” said Kadee Anstadt, superintendent of WLS. “So I think really that’s the word that caught my attention, is how do we do this more systemically? How do we make sure that all the resources that are available to us are known to us and that we can tap into those resources.”
Over the next two years, WLS district leaders will meet with Jed experts to come up with a plan to suit the district’s needs and address problem areas. Experts told 13 Action News’ Brenna Nye that some of the problem areas include social media, self-worth, bullying and social networks.
But why should we be addressing children as young as Pre-K?
“They may not know how to spell their names, but they know how they feel,” said Ann Levett, assistant executive director for leadership network with AASA. “We want to make sure that we reinforce that in all cases, but also help them understand who they can go to so that if there is some deep-seated feeling that is beginning to emerge, that they can seek help.”
So flash forward, what will this look like?
“My hope would be that we’ve done something at the table that helps another district that’s like us,” said Anstadt. “Another urban district that’s around 7,000 students, can look out five years from now and say okay, well this worked for Washington Local and this is how they pulled their team together.”
Superintendent Anstadt says right now the plan is to make a plan. She says the district will wait for data from surveys to determine the weak spots within the district to know what needs to be addressed.
Temi: Social Issues