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Ms. Newbill, Mr. Schmerelson, Ms. Griego - Recognizing May as Mental Health Awareness Month and Focusing on Student Mental Health (Res 062-25/26) (Waiver of Board Rule 72)
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Whereas, The Los Angeles Unified School District has a goal of reaching 100 percent graduation and must provide a learning environment that promotes social-emotional learning and support for students and adults;
Whereas, Childhood and adolescence are critical times for physical and mental development, and the development of good mental health is important for overall good health and well-being throughout the lifespan;
Whereas, While approximately 1 in 5 children have a diagnosable mental disorder and approximately 1 in 10 children have a serious emotional or behavioral disorder that is severe enough to cause substantial impairment in functioning at home, at school, or in the community;
Whereas, Chronic absenteeism in students is strongly linked to mental health challenges, with studies showing that students with poor mental health are more likely to be absent from school. Conversely, chronic absenteeism can also exacerbate or trigger mental health issues, creating a cycle of negative consequences;
Whereas, A screening of 572 District students revealed that 88 percent reported experiencing three or more traumatic events, with 55 percent showing symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), depression, or anxiety, according to the L.A. Trust for Children's Health;
Whereas, The District partners with the L.A. Trust for Children’s Health to advance a comprehensive, school-based approach to student wellness, including the coordination of physical and mental health services, data-informed decision-making, and the expansion of Wellness Centers that improve access to mental health supports for students and families;
Whereas, It is currently estimated that 70 to 80 percent of children with mental health disorders may not receive any care at all.;
Whereas, In 2021, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System for District students indicated that 42 percent of high school students reported a prolonged sense of sadness or hopelessness every day for two or more continuous weeks; 22 percent of middle school and 18 percent of high school students seriously considered attempting suicide; and over 9 percent of middle school and 10 percent of high school students attempted suicide;
Whereas, The District envisions an environment where every student has equitable access to timely, effective, and culturally responsive mental health and wellness services seamlessly integrated into the school community;
Whereas, The District’s Student and Family Wellness Hotline, which was created during the pandemic to provide families continued access to wellness services, received over 35,000 calls between April 2020 and June 2022 for a wide range of supports, including mental health, attendance and enrollment, access to basic needs, specialized student programs and immunization information;
Whereas, Schools serve as vital gateways to connecting students and families with mental health services. By fostering strong partnerships with over 60 community mental health agencies, including the District’s School Mental Health Clinics and Wellness Centers, the District can ensure that students and their families have easy access to support;
Whereas, Families can call the Student and Family Wellness Hotline at 213-241-3840 to get access to mental health services, and other essential school and community resources. The wellness line is open weekdays from 8-4:30pm and closed on major holidays;
Whereas, As part of the 2022-26 Strategic Plan, the District called for prioritizing telehealth programs, allowing students to connect to health care professionals through video conferencing technology and the District began offering telehealth services to its schools in the fall 2023;
Whereas, Families can directly refer their children to our School Mental Health Clinics and Wellness Centers for individual, family, and group counseling services. These services are available both in-person and through telehealth; and
Whereas, Each District Region is supported by a mental health team, including Psychiatric Social Workers (PSWs) based on most school campuses. These professionals are ready to assist families in accessing mental health services both at their child's school and within their community; now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Governing Board of the Los Angeles Unified School District hereby declares May as Mental Health Awareness Month and directs the Superintendent and District staff, to inform families of the resources and activities available through the District promoting education and awareness of the mental health needs of our students and families;
Resolved further, That in no later than 120 days, the District will provide the Board with an update on all the mental health resources and programs available to support students and families; including but not limited to, school specific supports, telemental health, and wellness center/clinic resources, and will include a plan on how to communicate with students and families about these resources;
Resolved further, That the District expand collaboration with the L.A. Trust for Children’s Health and other community partners to strengthen data integration efforts, including through the Data Exchange, to enable secure and responsible data sharing to improve care coordination, identify student needs, and streamline the delivery of mental health and wellness services for students and families across school communities;
Resolved further, That the District will implement the following hiring changes for non-centrally/regionally funded psychiatric social workers and pupil services and attendance counselors (PSAs):
● Principals will have greater autonomy to directly select candidates for the position from the qualified hiring pool, interview, and submit the hiring paperwork to the regional or central office,
● In the instance of budget limitations, principals from two or more schools will be encouraged to cooperate with each other, combining their funding to hire PSWs/PSAs,
● Principals will develop and execute the schedule for their newly hired PSWs/PSAs, ensuring their schools receive the predetermined hour allocation,
● Regional or central offices will not deter or impede with the hiring and/or scheduling of these positions, unless directly requested by the principals or as a result of any legal permissions;
Resolved further, That the District will work to clarify protocols in the instance schools did not receive all the previously purchased service hours, and change policies wherever appropriate including, but not limited to, reimbursement directly back to the schools for hours not serviced through a districtwide bulletin, distributed to all principals, administrators, directors, board members, school site councils, and whomever appropriate; and, be it finally
Resolved, That beginning in the 2026-2027 school year, the District will begin tracking the number of caseloads by all centrally and non-centrally funded PSWs, such that this data will be aggregated per school, and available on a monthly basis and will be reported at the next school experience survey update to the Board.