Students urge more youth-led outreach as MMSD mental-health teams cite steady screening and targeted supports

Four Madison Metropolitan School District students and district mental-health leaders on March 3 described screening results, school-based services and student-led outreach meant to improve access to counseling and reduce stigma.

The student presenters — Lena Cox and Lily Shapiro, co-chairs of the Student Senate mental-health subcommittee, and students Megan (student board representative) and Cara (Capital High) — summarized youth interviews and a student newsletter and asked the district to expand youth-led interviews, peer outreach and a planned mental-health fair.

The presentation matters because the district is using county- and school-level screening to guide which services to expand and how to reduce barriers. The district reported data from the Dane County Youth Assessment and universal social-emotional screening, and students described why they do or do not use available supports.

“Mental health as a continuum,” said Dr. Kristen Getchow, director of mental health and well‑being, explaining the district’s framing of supports from universal skill-building to targeted interventions. District staff said more than 6,000 Madison middle- and high‑school students provided Dane County Youth Assessment data this cycle, and school teams screened over 5,000 students through universal social‑emotional measures this year.

Dr. Leah Esser, executive director of student staff supports, told the group the district is expanding school-based behavioral health: “The data that’s here is from our first semester, with 3 therapists in our comprehensive high schools. We’re excited to say we now have a fourth therapist hired and placed.” She said the district is planning further expansion for the 2025–26 school year.

Students described findings from interviews they helped conduct. Megan summarized interviews at multiple high schools and said students reported three top reasons for anxiety in 2024. She said many students perform a “cost‑benefit analysis” before skipping class, and that a teacher’s connection matters: if a teacher notices and reaches out, students were more likely to return to class. Multiple students told interviewers that “positive reinforcement has better results than negative repercussions” for addressing chronic absenteeism.

Lena Cox and Lily Shapiro said their committee produces a monthly mental‑health newsletter (the February edition is linked in board materials), is planning a mental‑health fair in May and is discussing a student‑led summit in April. “It’s a goal of ours to destigmatize mental health, bring more conversations, more students, get resources, get information,” Lena said.

Students and staff said common coping strategies include music, time with friends, phone use and comfort food, and that phone use is often used to “tune out” while remaining physically present in class. Lily Shapiro described phone use as sometimes therapeutic and sometimes distracting: “A lot of times students do just want to tune everything out.”

District staff described partnerships and research informing practice. The district works with Journey Mental Health Center and University of Wisconsin researchers to study factors that influence whether screened‑in students join group interventions. Early results emphasize relationships, clear communication about confidentiality and logistics as determinants of participation.

Board members asked about access and cultural relevance. Board member Nichelle (last name not specified in transcript) and others urged more outreach to students from immigrant and underrepresented communities and asked about culturally relevant clinicians and peer supports. Esser said the district is connecting with a BIPOC mental-health council and working to increase the diversity of school psychologists through a UW partnership.

District leaders said they are testing both universal lessons (for example in middle-school advisory) and targeted steps to increase students’ sense of safety and belonging in buildings. “They need relationships, they need communication, and they need us to have universal practices that are designed to shape their well‑being,” said Dr. Leah Esser.

The meeting closed with board members thanking the students and staff and noting the Dane County Youth Assessment full report has been posted to BoardDocs.

The presentation was discussion and information only; no formal district policy was adopted during this agenda item.