The Rochester City School District’s ad hoc mental health committee is calling for more training and more funding for programs that support students — before a crisis.
“There's lots of agencies and support and programs, but there was never a coordinated, sort of bird's eye view of everything happening and where there could be better alignment so that this actually gets implemented the way it needs to be implemented,” said school board member Beatriz LeBron-Harris.
The committee recommended supporting students through mental health first aid training, emotional wellness education, a year-round awareness campaign, and continuing funding for mobile mental health teams and a transition program for students who are returning to school after acute mental health treatment.
Funding ended late last month for that transition program, called Rise and Return, according to the committee’s report. Reinstating that funding is listed as one of the committee’s top priorities.
“No other alternative mental health education programs are in the district,” said Charisma Travis, senior research analyst for the school board and staff liaison to the committee. “At times, school buildings struggle to support students with mental health concerns.”
Many students who have gone through that program at the Restorative H.U.B. — an out-of-school program that was founded by former administrator Ruth Turner to provide mediation, conflict resolution, and other social-emotional support — are reportedly recovering class credits and receiving consistent therapeutic support, the report states.
Travis said mental health training also needs to be done in a way that accounts for all students’ backgrounds and experiences and helps adults identify signs that students may need support before a crisis.
“Some examples include mental health first aid, LGBTQ+ mental health training, cultural competence. Youth, teen, mental health first aid strengthens the district's capacity to create safe, inclusive and supportive learning environments,” Travis said.
The current funding for mobile mental health teams ends on June 30, 2027. That program provides trauma-informed interventions, consultations, and screenings for students and families in crisis, and is a means to reduce hospitalization, according to the report.
“You can't work with the babies and the scholars without also helping the parents understand mental health,” said parent Sara Taylor, who is co-chair of the ad hoc committee, and mental health project director of the BIPOC PEEEEK Parent mental health project
Taylor added that the suicide rate for Black and brown youths between ages 10 and 19 have risen faster than any other population. A 2023 report published by Johns Hopkins Center for Gun Violence Solutions states that nearly 1 in 20 Black youth need medical attention as a result of a suicide attempt. The report also states that the full picture may not be clear as some suicide deaths may be misclassified.
“So this is about lives.”
It is also critical that there is accountability to ensure that mental health support for students is funded and implemented, Taylor said.
Committee leaders presented their findings to the school board this week. The group was formed through an initiative spearheaded by school board member Isaiah Santiago in response to the death of a School of the Arts student in March.
The school board is reviewing the policy recommendations.
