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Montgomery County judges and families urge Conroe ISD to expand mental-health supports at board meeting
Summary
County and community leaders promoted a countywide "Anchored in Unity" event and parents and students asked the Conroe ISD Board for more campus-based mental-health staff and improved suicide-prevention training.
Montgomery County officials, a county judge and families appealed to the Conroe ISD Board of Trustees to expand mental-health resources in schools and described a community awareness event planned for the next day.
Montgomery County Judge Echo Hudson told the board about "Anchored in Unity," a community resource fair scheduled for Heritage Park to connect residents with mental-health organizations, place symbolic anchors on a "wall of unity," and highlight local treatment options. She said the county intends the event to raise awareness that one in five people will have a mental-health crisis in their lifetime and that early recognition increases the chance of getting help.
Parent and local advocate Kim Hess, who lost a daughter to suicide in 2015, told trustees she is pushing for expanded suicide-prevention training and called for a full-time crisis counselor on every campus. "Teachers have answered and they tell me they need better suicide prevention training, not just the minimum required training ... but real training," Hess said. She added that parents want a crisis counselor on each campus so at-risk students can be identified before tragedy.
Several students and parents also spoke during public comment about a local mental-health crisis. A student speaker described high rates of stress and anxiety among peers and said 22 percent of high-school students reported seriously considering suicide, a figure cited in her remarks. Another student speaker urged the district to hire youth psychologists at every campus and said school policy choices should prioritize student mental health.
Board members acknowledged the comments during the special-recognition portion of the meeting, where the district also recognized school counselors as part of Mental Health Awareness Month. The board received the county’s request for public awareness and the district said it would continue its coordination with the county and local mental-health providers.
Judge Hudson and others encouraged trustees and the public to attend the free event, noting many local service providers will be present to share resources.
