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Resident urges Parkway to provide mental-health supports at Henry Elementary
Summary
A Parkway resident spoke during public comment to say an elementary student has not received school-based mental-health checks or meetings despite a trauma-informed designation on the district website; she asked the board to ensure equal access to supports.
Lindsey Brand, who identified herself as a St. Louis County resident and higher-education professional with K–12 experience, told the Parkway Board of Education during public comment on April 16 that a friend’s child at Henry Elementary had not received expected school-based mental-health support.
Brand said the district’s website lists Parkway as part of the trauma-informed school initiative and that DESE’s website describes that designation as involving staff training to “recognize the widespread impact of trauma” and integrate that knowledge into school practices. Brand said she expected staff at Henry Elementary to “partner with my friend to help her son” and to offer check-ins and coordinated supports; she said instead the family received only a list of community providers and delayed email responses from administrators.
The comment matters because it raised a parent-reported gap between district policy or designation and an individual family’s experience, specifically when a school did not intervene until classroom performance visibly declined, the speaker said.
Brand described the family’s attempts to engage school counselors and administrators and said the counselor provided only a community-provider list and that administrative responses were delayed. She said her friend noted socioeconomic challenges and asked the board to ensure the student receives the same educational resources and mental-health supports as peers in similar circumstances. Brand said, “I would have expected the staff at Henry Elementary School to partner with my friend to help her son,” and added she was not asking for special treatment but for equitable access to supports.
Board members did not announce a formal response during the public comment period. The matter was placed on the public record; follow-up would depend on staff review and any subsequent communications from the family or district staff.
