CAPE CORAL, Fla. — Mental health staff lacks in Florida schools, and the consequences could be longterm.
A recently published report from the American Civil Liberties Union shows the majority of public schools in Florida don’t have enough mental health staff.
Schools are lacking counselors, psychologists, social workers, and nurses.
Here are the specific findings:
• 22% of schools have no counselor on staff
• 95% of schools have no school psychologists on staff
• 92% of schools have no social worker on staff
Abbe Finn, a professor at Florida Gulf Coast University studying suicide, addiction, and school violence prevention, says mental health resources available for children is crucial to ensure proper learning and development.
“The part that’s not well developed is the part that manages emotion, that’s why we need adults,” Finn said. “To help children try to learn to manage their emotions and be able to deescalate when they’re upset.”
The study also shows 1.7 million students attend schools with cops but no counselors. Finn says it's important to have both law enforcement and mental health professionals to ensure school safety.
ACLU’s report recommends one counselor for every 250 students. Florida’s average is way above that, one counselor for every 554 students.
Don Armstrong, a parent of two children attending Lee County schools, wishes the school district would do more to address mental health.
“It makes me question why aren’t we putting more emphasis on the counselors and nurses as well?”
Lee County School District is planning to add more mental health resources in the upcoming year as part of its Mental Health Allocation Plan. The state legislature passed Senate Bill 7026 or the “Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act” last year after the Parkland shooting, setting aside $6.2 million last year and $500,000 annually for school mental health services.
Part of the district’s plan mentions hiring an additional ten social workers, four psychologists, and three behavior experts. Lee County School District currently employs 143 school counselors, 43 nurses, 39 social workers, and 32 psychologists.
For more information about the Lee County School District’s plan to improve mental health resources at schools, click here.
To view Senate Bill 7026, click here.
To read ACLU’s full report on mental health in schools, click here.
