Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Akron board president urges stronger student mental-health supports and urges community to consider Issue 1
Summary
Board President Dr. Carla Jackson urged the community to prioritize student mental and emotional health after recent student deaths and the Jasmine Tucker grand jury decision, stressed expanded counseling and partnerships, and said she supports Issue 1 personally.
Dr. Carla Jackson, president of the Akron Public School Board, used her extended president's report on Oct. 6 to make student mental health the meeting’s central message, urging expanded counseling, partnerships with local mental-health agencies and, personally, support for Issue 1 on the November ballot.
Jackson told the board and audience the district is “suffering” after two student deaths and the community reaction to the grand jury decision in the death of Jasmine Tucker. She said those events underline the “urgent need to strengthen how we address the mental, emotional, and social well-being of our students.”
Why it matters: Jackson framed the matter as both a moral and practical priority for Akron Public Schools (APS). She cited national trends — including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention finding that suicide is a leading cause of youth death — to argue APS must move “from awareness to bold coordinated action.” She said that will include increasing access to counselors, expanding on-site telehealth, crisis-intervention training for staff, and deeper collaboration with local agencies.
Jackson described current staffing gaps and referenced the National Association of School Psychologists’ recommended ratio (about 500 students per school psychologist) to highlight a shortfall in the district. She said APS has counselors and social workers but “not to the degree that we need them” and called for layered or “tiered wraparound” services through partnerships with the ADM board and local mental-health agencies.
Although Jackson explicitly framed remarks as her personal view on the ballot, she addressed board priorities: “As we approach Issue 1 on the November ballot, which focuses on expanding fund for mental health and addiction services, I speak on behalf of myself as I did not convene the board concerning this,” she said. Jackson said stronger countywide services would enable APS to “better partner with agencies that help us serve the whole student academically, socially, as well as emotionally.”
The president also recognized Dr. Lisa L. Sims as Akron Public Schools’ 2024–25 Counselor of the Year, highlighting her small-group work with ninth graders and her involvement with the Ohio School Counselors Association as examples of in-district capacity the board can build on.
Board and staff context: Jackson asked the board to consider concrete steps — more counselors, telehealth expansion, crisis training and family/faith‑leader engagement — and to treat mental-health investment as district infrastructure. She urged coordinated action rather than “mere proposals,” citing students’ reports of stress, anxiety and depression.
What’s next: Jackson said she wants the district to “put boots on the ground” with measurable supports. The superintendent’s office acknowledged the concerns and said staff would coordinate follow-up; no formal board vote on new staffing or budget allocations was taken at the Oct. 6 meeting.
Ending: Jackson closed by reiterating condolences to families affected by recent tragedies and the board’s intent to prioritize student well-being. She encouraged community engagement around the issue and said the district will continue collaborations to expand services.
