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Mental Health in Schools

Mental Health in Schools. Preparing Students for Success. Agenda. What is Mental Illness? Mental Health in Schools Services available in High School Services available in College Self Advocacy Homeless and Foster Care Youth Resources. What is Mental Illness.

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Mental Health in Schools

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  1. Mental Health in Schools Preparing Students for Success

  2. Agenda • What is Mental Illness? • Mental Health in Schools • Services available in High School • Services available in College • Self Advocacy • Homeless and Foster Care Youth • Resources

  3. What is Mental Illness • Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. • It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices. • Mental health is important at every stage of life, from childhood and adolescence through adulthood. www.mentalhealth.gov

  4. https://www.nami.org/learn-more/mental-health-by-the-numbers

  5. Mental Health Statistics

  6. Health Education in our Schools • Grades K-5 • Health is required: Must teach the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills (TEKS) for health education. • Grades 6-8 • Health is required: Must each the TEKS for health education. • High School • Health education is not required for graduation. • Districts may make a local decision to require health or offer it as an elective.

  7. Public School Best Practice Based Resources • DSHS annually updates a list of recommended programs for public school implementation. • Topics: • Early mental health intervention; • Mental health promotion and positive youth development; • Substance abuse prevention; • Substance abuse intervention; and • Suicide prevention. • Several of these programs are classroom curriculums, but many are knowledge-based for educators themselves. http://www.dshs.texas.gov/mhsa/Public-Schools-Best-Practice-Based-Resources.aspx

  8. Suicide Prevention Training for Educators in Public Schools • House Bill 2186, 84th Texas Legislature, 2015 • Requires suicide prevention training for all new school district and open-enrollment charter school educators annually and for existing school district and open-enrollment charter school educators • Training must be selected from the list of recommended best practice-based programs that is provided by DSHS

  9. School Health Advisory Councils (SHACS) • Texas Education Code • Title 2, Chapter 28, Section 28.004 • Board of trustees of each school districtshallestablish a local school health advisory council to assist the district in ensuring that local community values are reflected in the district's health education instruction. • A school district must consider the recommendations of the local school health advisory council before changing the district's health education curriculum or instruction.

  10. Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child “Call for Greater Alignment, Integration, and Collaboration between Health and Education to Improve Each Child’s Cognitive, Physical, Social, and Emotional Development”

  11. Services Available in High School • Special Education Services – • Students receiving services through an IEP may have modifications and accommodations provided to help students be successful in school. • Meetings are held annually for parents, students, and teachers to discuss annual progress. • 504 services – • Sudents receiving services through 504 may have accommodations to help them be successful in school. • Meetings are held annually for parents, students, and teachers to discuss annual progress.

  12. Services Available In College • Colleges are not required to offer special services, however; most colleges have a student support center that offers tutoring, counseling, career exploration, etc. • Students are responsible for seeking out these services.

  13. Self Advocacy • One of the hardest concepts for students to adjust to in transitioning from high school to college is self advocacy. • No longer will their be annual meetings to discuss progress, no longer will parents be able to make a phone call or schedule a parent conference to discuss items such as accommodations. • Students have to advocate for themselves.

  14. Self Advocacy • One good way to start preparing students for this is to have them take a more active role in ARD meetings, 504 meetings, and/or parent conferences. • This will help encourage students to take ownership of their plan and education.

  15. Design Your Portrait of a Graduate • Discuss at your table: • What skills do you feel graduates need in order to be successful in college? • What community resources are available to help with developing these skills?

  16. Decisions, Decisions Helping students determine their pathway and future career choice is an important process in college and career success. There are many resources that you can use with students to help them with these difficult decision. A few things to think about when choosing a college and/or career are: • Do I want to stay close to home? • Do I want to be in a big city/college or smaller city/college? • Do I prefer smaller teacher/student ratios? *these are questions to help students determine what is a “best fit” place for them to be after graduation.

  17. I Dream SA! • Vision: • All youth have the opportunity to achieve their full potential. • Mission: • To educate, connect, and empower youth in San Antonio to reach their Dreams. http://www.idreamsa.com

  18. Importance of Sleep • Children today are averaging an hour less sleep a night than children 30 years ago. • Problem: • reduces academic performance • affects emotional stability • increases the incidence of medical conditions such as obesity and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) • Teenagers: • Lack of sleep and association with teenage moodiness and/or symptoms of depression Reference: Nurture Shock

  19. Homeless Youth Students lacking a fixed, regular, and adequate living situation. • A major determinant of outcomes for children, youth, and their families is their mental health. • Low income children, youth, and their families are disproportionately affected by mental health challenges • This impairs the ability of youth to succeed in school & places them at risk of involvement with child welfare and juvenile justice. Reference: National Center for Children in Poverty

  20. Homeless Youth • Rates of serious mental health disorders among homeless youth range from 19% to 50%. • Homeless youth have a high need for treatment, but rarely use formal treatment programs for medical, mental, and substance use services Reference: National Center for Children in Poverty

  21. McKinney-Vento Liaisons • All Districts and Charters must appoint a McKinney-Vento Liaison • Ensure that: • Students in homeless situations are identified by school personnel & through coordination with agencies. • Students are immediately enrolled and provided with full opportunities to succeed in school. • Provide referrals for health, mental health, dental services, substance abuse, and housing. • Inform parents of services available to students, including transportation. • Assist students with obtaining necessary immunizations and medical records. • Ensure unaccompanied homeless youth are enrolled immediately.

  22. Homeless Youth Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) • State plans must describe how homeless youth will receive assistance from school counselors to advise, prepare, and improve their readiness for college. • Local liaisons must ensure that unaccompanied homeless youth informed of their status as independent students for college financial aid and may obtain assistance to receive verification for the FAFSA.

  23. Foster Care Youth • Reports indicate up to 80%of children in foster care have significant mental health issues, compared to approximately 18-22% of the general population. • The American Academy of Pediatrics, Healthy Foster Care American Initiative,identifies mental and behavioral health as the “greatest unmet heath need for children and teens in foster care.” Reference: http://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/mental-health-and-foster-care.aspx

  24. Foster Care Youth • Foster Care Alumni Study, performed by Casey Family Programs in 2003

  25. SB 1220 – 85th Legislative Session • Requires schools to accept education-related decisions for children in foster care or experiencing homelessness entering a new school made at a previous school until the new school develops an IEP or provides a comparable program. • Texas Education Agency will ensure schools’ timely transfer (within 10 days) of student records and transcripts.

  26. Foster Care Youth HB 2537 – 85th Legislative Session • Requires high school counselors to inform foster care students about the Education and Training Voucher program (ETV) and the college tuition fee waiver the first year the student is in high school and every year afterwards. Effective September 1, 2017

  27. Resources • http://www.twc.state.tx.us/ • www.Applytexas.org • www.fafsa.gov • www.official-asvab.com

  28. Contact Information Mandy Tyler, M.Ed., RD/LD Coordinator, Coordinated School Health Education Service Center, Region 20 1314 Hines Avenue San Antonio, Texas 78208 210-370-5493 mandy.tyler@esc20.net

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