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Teachers press district to inventory student and staff mental-health needs and consider coordinator, screeners
Summary
Teachers told the Waunakee HR committee they are seeing rising mental-health and behavioral needs among students and asked the district to inventory current supports, consider a student screener, broaden staff awareness of resources, and explore whether a mental-health coordinator role is needed.
Teachers and union leaders told the Waunakee Community School District human-resources committee that student and staff mental-health needs have increased and asked the district to take a coordinated inventory of needs and supports.
Nut graf: The request centers on creating consistent screening, follow-up and staff resources so building teams can identify needs early and provide consistent supports across grade levels; the union framed the ask as both student-support and staff-wellness priorities.
WTA speakers described increases in student dysregulation, office visits, and missed instructional time and said classroom teachers often lack training or tools to address more severe behavioral and mental-health concerns. The union suggested steps including a district-wide survey focused on mental health, a student screener, a follow-up review committee that includes staff who work with students daily, and clearer communication about existing resources (the psychotherapy center of Waunakee was cited as an example of a community resource currently available).
District leaders acknowledged resource limits and questioned whether hiring a single new staff member would solve the systemic need. They urged a prioritized review of gaps and possible changes to practices and supports that could expand staff capacity without assuming immediate new hires. Both sides emphasized the need for a plan that follows students from building to building and for tools that increase teacher capacity to respond.
Ending: District staff proposed reviewing actionable steps at a near-term WTA-administration meeting to identify priorities the district could address in the coming school year; no staffing commitment was made at the meeting.
