JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Duval County school leaders focused on student’s mental health during a workshop on Tuesday.
The district discussed the resources needed and available to make sure students are getting the support they need.
After the Parkland School shooting, school districts were required to put mental health plans in place in the 2018-19 school year in addition to school safety resources.
The district’s director of school behavioral health said there weren’t big changes to its mental health plan over the past year, although funding this year increased by a little less than $1 million with the hiring of additional school social workers.
The district is also expanding students’ access to counselors via a mental telehealth platform called Hazel.
Hazel was expanded into 20 schools last year and in the upcoming school year, she said, it will be available in 30 schools.
In November, Duval County had about 3,400 Hazel visits the previous year and it had already seen 700 visits just a few months into the start of the school year.
The DCPS director of school behavioral health said there’s about $8.8 million in funding for the upcoming school year.
“It’s hard work but it’s heart work. Because we really are changing the lives for our kids that we often wouldn’t have known they’re struggling with trauma and mental health concerns,” said Katrina Taylor, Director of School Behavioral Health.
Charter schools are able to opt out of the district’s mental health plan to spend their funding on their own mental health infrastructure. One charter school, a new one, has opted into DCPS’ plan, she said, while 12 have opted out.
Taylor said she hopes the board approves the mental health spending plan so it can be submitted by the state’s deadline of Aug. 1.
Teen social media use has come under fire recently as experts warn of its effects on their mental health.
In a Monday opinion piece in The New York Times, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy said that social media is a contributing factor in the mental health crisis among young people and advocated for a warning label on social media, similar to the one required for cigarettes.
Starting Jan. 1, children under 14 in Florida will be banned from having social media accounts, and 14- and 15-year-olds will need parental permission. Otherwise, social media platforms must terminate the accounts of any teens who are under the age restrictions.