Waunakee board hears youth-assessment results showing rising vaping and high student anxiety; social workers urge earlier supports

The Waunakee Community School District Board of Education on a February regular meeting received a curriculum-committee briefing on the Dane County Youth Assessment and related school mental-health data showing increased vaping and a large share of students reporting frequent anxiety.

The district presentation, led by Community Cares Coalition representatives and the district social-work staff, said the assessment is administered every three years to middle- and high-school students and is anonymous and voluntary. Participation in the latest round was about 600 students at the middle school and about 570 at the high school.

Committee presenters and social workers highlighted three clusters of concern: anxiety and worry, suicidal ideation, and gaps in access to mental-health supports. The board heard that “at the middle school more than a third of students feel like they're nervous or anxious often or always,” and that at the high school the figure is about 45 percent. Of those students, presenters said only about 13 percent at the middle school and 18 percent at the high school were actively receiving treatment or strategies to address anxiety or depression.

Social workers John Wilde and Jess Hickey described common classroom and attendance consequences: class avoidance, extended absences and an increase in requests for accommodation plans (for example, 504 plans). Presenters tied substance use, including alcohol and vaping, to mental-health drivers and said vaping had increased since the last assessment in 2021 and will likely be a focus of upcoming prevention grant work.

The district discussed potential responses the social-work team and curriculum committee are exploring. Options mentioned included adding lower‑level psychotherapy services into elementary schools (described as optional services for families), exploring internal therapeutic placements so students can receive more supports without being sent out of district, and continuing prevention work on substance access and education. Presenters emphasized the need for interventions earlier in students’ school careers.

Board members asked about instructional-screen time, cell‑phone practices and parent education as complements to in-school supports. The social-work presentation noted anecdotally that high‑school practices limiting in‑day phone use corresponded with fewer incident reports, and committee members and board members discussed parent education resources such as Common Sense Media and targeted newsletter tips.

The board was advised that more detailed material is available in the curriculum committee packet and that work on grant goals and possible program changes will continue.