First Lady announces plan to increase parental involvement in Florida schools

On Wednesday, First Lady Casey DeSantis held a roundtable at Florida State University to discuss Florida’s efforts to reframe mental health education to focus on resiliency.

At the roundtable, First Lady DeSantis announced more than $21 million in dedicated funding to create and distribute resiliency curricula, including parent and teacher toolkits.

As a part of the focus on resiliency, the state is also trying to incentivize parental involvement in schools.

As announced by the First Lady and Commissioner Manny Diaz, Jr. the Department of Education is going to create four new pathways for parents to serve in their schools.

Educators will be able to act as resiliency coaches, mentors, school counselors, and apprentices.

• Resiliency Coaches, serve as the first layer of support to students facing day-to-day challenges.
• Community members, will be able to take training covering counseling standards and resiliency education to achieve certification as a resiliency coach.
• Certified counselors and mentors, will support all students in building the characteristics of resiliency.
• School Counseling Apprentices, will support students experiencing challenges and in need of additional mentorship.

The revised Resiliency Education Standards are designed to teach the value of resiliency skills in early grades. These individuals will also work under the guidance of a School Counselor.
“As a mama of three little ones, I am proud that Florida is leading the nation in education, and I am thrilled to see how our efforts to reframe and rethink mental health will equip our students and future Floridians to be more resilient,” said First Lady Casey DeSantis. 

The standards exhibit civic responsibility through citizenship and mentorship to help students understand the value of the ideas and actively engage in activities that will prepare them to be upstanding, responsible citizens.

The Department of Education is investing in the community by developing four pathways for student support and mentorship.

The $21 million in funding aims to maximize the reach and impact of materials by getting them into the hands of parents.