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Senate hearing spotlights student mental-health crisis, social workers urge more staff and funding
Summary
Witnesses told the Minnesota Senate Education Policy Committee that student mental-health needs are rising sharply, contributing to chronic absenteeism and classroom disruption; school social workers said statewide staffing and treatment resources are insufficient and urged lawmakers to increase funding and community services.
The Minnesota Senate Education Policy Committee heard testimony Feb. 12 that school mental-health needs have grown markedly and are straining school staff and community treatment systems.
Julie Campanelli, president of the Minnesota School Social Workers Association, and Abby Rufslin, a licensed independent clinical social worker and member of the association’s board, told the committee that student mental-health problems are widespread across grades and communities. Rufslin said survey and local data show “nearly 1 in 3 students report experiencing long term mental health problems,” and that some groups — including eleventh-grade female students and LGBTQ students — report notably higher rates of struggle.
The witnesses described a range of harms tied to untreated mental-health needs: rising…
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