WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – Hearing from Kansas students, state leaders say mental health is a priority. This is something on which the Kansas School Mental Health Advisory Council has spent the last several years guiding districts.
“I am a huge believer that we are mind, body and spirit. We are not just created in an abyss,” said Kansas State Department of Education Mental Health Coordinator Trish Backman. “I know that we have three different things we focus on.”
An updated toolkit from the Kansas School Mental Health Advisory Council includes policy recommendations for Kansas schools if there’s a student in crisis. Backman said it’s adding guidance for suicide intervention and reintegration following a situation such as a stay at a psychiatric residential treatment facility.
“When they come home, how do you reintegrate them? When do you start working on that process with them? We want them connected with their families,” Backman said.
The update regarding mental health issues in Kansas schools came during a Kansas State Department of Education meeting in which the board heard from some Kansans seeking an end to state standards on social and emotional health.
“Public school should be in the business of educating students in the basics of math, reading, language, arts, science and history,” one speaker said. “Let’s not burden our teachers and districts with trying to address student mental and emotional needs.”
State Board of Education member and School Mental Health Advisory Council Chair Betty Arnold is pushing back on those calls.
“Well, if you eliminate mental health services, then you’re saying a significant number of kids in our school system don’t matter,” she said.
Backman also addressed the issue from a teacher’s perspective.
“In teaching, it’s the best profession you can ever be in. You get to work with kids every single day, and being able to help them recognize their emotions and when this emotion is harmful or beneficial is so important,” she said.
At its meeting Tuesday, the state BOE also heard from a few educators and a former student in support of social and emotional learning. Backman said data shows 79% of 988 (Suicide and Crisis Lifeline) calls in Kansas are from foster children, but mental health is an issue impacting youths across the state of all backgrounds.
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