MMSD officials and students outline mental-health supports, urge more youth voice

Madison Metropolitan School District staff and student leaders reviewed the district's mental-health work March 3, highlighting universal screening, school-based therapists and student-led outreach while urging additional youth-led engagement and clearer communication about services.

The update, presented to the Instructional Work Group, emphasized system-level screening and referral pathways as well as examples of how student voice is being used to shape supports. Dr. Kristen Getchow, director of mental health and well-being, told the group the district uses a continuum approach to mental health and focuses on "mindset, people, [and] programs" to build reliable school supports.

Why it matters: Board members pressed staff on how district systems translate into support for students who report anxiety, depression or attendance challenges. Students and staff said bringing students into the design and implementation of outreach and supports makes uptake more likely and can reduce stigma.

District data and programs Dr. Getchow said the district draws on the Dane County Youth Assessment every three years; this cycle included responses from "over 6,000 Madison high school and middle school students," she said, and the district also conducts universal social-emotional screening in grades 3, 6 and at the high-school level. "So far this year, student service teams have screened over 5,000 of our students," she said, and the data are used to follow up with students who signal they need more support.

Staff described partnerships and programs in place: a long-standing collaboration with Journey Mental Health Center on the CBITS intervention, placement of mental-health therapists in the district's comprehensive high schools (three therapists in semester one, with a fourth hired and placed), and a behavioral-health-in-schools program now in its tenth year across 16 schools with planning underway to expand in the coming school year.

Students: findings and next steps Student leaders who co-chair the Student Senate mental-health subcommittee, Lena Cox and Lily Shapiro, said their work centers on awareness and destigmatizing help-seeking. "We both agree that there is a shared importance of sharing resources with students who might not know that they exist and just increasing awareness," Lena Cox said.

Megan, the student board representative who led peer interviews, described what students told her about absenteeism and mental health: many students said skipping class is often a deliberate, planned decision that follows a cost-benefit calculation; relationships with teachers or a "trusted adult" made students more likely to attend; and positive reinforcement sometimes worked better than punitive consequences. On coping strategies, students cited listening to music, spending time with friends, using a cellphone and food.

Students also raised sensory and environmental issues'temperature, the school bell and uncomfortable seats'that became more salient when students were already disengaged or experiencing burnout. As Megan summarized, "youth voice is essential to supporting our schools," and the district should continue youth-led interviews and focus groups to design supports.

Board questions and staff responses Board members asked how the district teaches coping skills and where that instruction fits in the schedule. Dr. Getchow and Leah Esser, executive director of student and staff supports, said middle schools have an advisory structure with explicit lessons and that high schools vary; staff said they are working with curriculum teams to better integrate social-emotional learning and coping-skill instruction into existing class structures and professional learning.

Board members also raised access and cultural relevance: staff said the district has begun engaging a BIPOC mental-health council and university partners to improve cultural alignment and to grow the diversity of school psychologists and clinicians. Staff noted ongoing convenings with county-level health organizations to align school- and community-based supports.

Student-led initiatives and calendar items Student leaders described a monthly mental-health newsletter (a February issue was attached to board materials), plans to continue releases through May for Mental Health Awareness Month, a proposed mental-health fair planned for spring and discussion of a possible student mental-health summit in April.

Ending: staff said the district will keep centering student voice and intends to refine screening, referral and classroom-level practices, while students asked the board to support youth-led outreach and clearer, more accessible pathways into school and community services.