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Kissimmee resident urges Osceola board to adopt in-school chaplain program to address student mental health
Summary
Public commenter Zena Hernandez urged the board to implement a school chaplain program, cited Florida Health Department statistics on youth mental illness onset, and criticized the board—s reluctance to file or advance a policy on the matter.
Zena Hernandez of Kissimmee addressed the Osceola County School Board during public comment on Feb. 11, urging trustees to implement a school-based chaplains program to help students with mental-health needs.
Hernandez said she was "a gentle reminder" that trustees were elected to "help build and watch over our city, specifically to watch over our students," and asked how the board could meet that responsibility while resisting what she described as a potentially vital resource.
She cited data she said came from the Florida Department of Health: "50 percent of all lifetime cases of mental illnesses begin by age 14," and she said Florida has "over 400,000 children and youth with emotional, behavioral, and developmental issues, but only about half are able to access services." Hernandez added that children with serious mental illness could have their lifespan shortened by 25 years, and she told the board she has seen younger children struggling in her community.
Hernandez criticized trustees for voting against a chaplains policy and asked them to "reconsider pulling out the policy from where you filed it and finally go yes on it." She said traditional counseling and extracurricular programs are not sufficiently meeting students— needs and urged the board to adopt additional supports to address a growing mental-health crisis among youth.
No formal board response or vote on the chaplains proposal was recorded during the meeting; the remarks were part of the public-comment period.
