Advocate urges council to fund services before implementing school mental-health screenings

Aaron Cahill, a resident and advocate, told the Springfield City Council on Aug. 6 that mandatory mental‑health screening in public schools risks identifying more students in need than the local system can support. "We're shining light into dark darkness only to discover we have no infrastructure to address what we find," Cahill said during public comment. He asked the council to demand funding for embedded mental-health professionals, more school counselors and social workers, and a system to ensure children identified by screening are seen and treated. Cahill said Springfield has "18 18 mental health professionals for the entire district of 186," adding that the district serves 35 schools and more than 9,000 students from kindergarten through 12th grade. He argued that screening without parallel investment "is exposure without support, and it's a recipe for harm." Cahill urged the council to require measures of success that ensure students identified through screening are connected to services. The speaker asked council members to press for staffing, funding, and infrastructure before implementing screening programs. Council members did not take a formal vote or introduce an ordinance on the record in response to the comment during the Aug. 6 meeting.