Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Student Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Fairfield resident urges more student mental-health support and stricter cell-phone enforcement
Summary
At the April 17 Fairfield school board meeting a parent urged the district to prioritize student mental health, hire a crisis counselor and enforce cell-phone rules; superintendent and others described hiring challenges and current practices but no policy change was made.
At the Fairfield Community School Corporation board meeting on April 17, resident Jessica Bender urged trustees to make student mental health a higher priority, seek a crisis mental-health counselor to work alongside school counselors and social workers, and tighten enforcement of the district's cell-phone policy. Bender also asked that the district require Digital Citizenship instruction in classrooms and from coaches. The request came during the public-comment period. Board member Sarah Elledge asked about use of free Bowen Center vouchers that cover two therapy visits and whether the district tracks how many students use them. Superintendent Dr. Carrie Cannon said Fairfield attempted to hire a mental-health counselor about a year ago but received only two qualified applicants; an offer was extended and declined, and Cannon said such professionals often can earn more in the private sector. Cannon said hiring a mental-health counselor remains a goal but did not announce a timeline. Cannon also told the board she could not provide the percentage of Bowen Center voucher use when asked and said she'd heard that after two free sessions some families were asked to pay up front for further visits because many agencies do not bill insurance for those follow-ups. Visitor Skyler Garner told the board that information about the vouchers is shared with parents but that following up is a parental decision. Jason Grasty told trustees that cell-phone usage at school has dropped from previous years but that it is not eliminated; he noted phones are allowed during noninstructional times such as lunch. Cannon said it is difficult to monitor all devices and that she has observed some students using Apple Watches. No board motion or policy change was made during the meeting; the comments were received for the record. The district acknowledged hiring constraints and described existing practices for communication with families about available mental-health services.
