Educators and school officials across the Commonwealth are continuing to discuss how to curb rising mental health challenges reported among grade school students.
A February report from the CDC says nearly 60 percent of teen girls have felt persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness. Nearly one in three have considered suicide.
"If we focus on students’ mental health and decreasing the symptoms that they have, and give them the support that they need, then they'll be able to focus more on the classroom and learn more from their teachers,” Tommy Wells, Assistant Professor of Education at Bellarmine University, said. “And that will lead to higher grades, better test scores, and better outcomes and opportunities after high school graduation."
Wells said much of the problem comes down to a lack of resources and funding directed towards mental health support systems in school districts.
"At the school level, if the school only has one social worker, for example, that social worker will have to decide who receives service, meaning that some students who need support likely won't get it from the school," Wells said.
More from Wells can be heard on this week’s edition of Eastern Standard as part of a debut of a new series discussing youth mental health.