Youth Council adopts mental‑health survey and partners with Lee County Schools for student focus groups

The Cape Coral Youth Council voted Oct. 10 to adopt a student mental‑health survey and pursue joint outreach with the Lee County School District.

Dr. Colleen Timm, the district’s executive director of academic and student services, told the council the district employs more than 50 licensed mental‑health professionals along with counselors, social workers and nurses and invited the council to align its senior‑project survey with district student focus groups. "We have a great team that can assist you with the work that you wanna do," Timm said, and described a three‑meeting focus‑group process that will surface student‑led recommendations to the school board. She said the first district focus group is scheduled for Feb. 17, 2026 and emphasized elevating student voice.

Council member Amber Johnson, who is leading the youth council’s survey project, said the Google Form contains about 11–12 questions asking whether mental health affects attendance, whether students have 504 plans and whether they feel they receive sufficient resources. Johnson said Oasis High School has already approved the survey; she is arranging a meeting with Lee County Schools Superintendent Sam Fisher to request district approval and determine distribution timing. Johnson said the survey will be anonymous and optional, and that responses can be left blank when preferred.

Council members discussed a single wording edit — changing a scale item to read, "I feel comfortable going to a staff member or counselor at my school about my mental health" — and extended the response window from one to two weeks to increase participation. The chair then asked for a motion to adopt the survey "as our mental health survey for our 2025–26 mental health project along with the edit"; Member Riley moved to adopt, Member Jax seconded, and the motion carried by voice vote.

The council and Dr. Timm also discussed using early survey results to draft questions for the district focus group and presenting focus‑group leaders to the school board. Timm cautioned that some surveys may require district approval or an opt‑out for parents under board policy and said she would review approval steps with council staff.

Next steps: Johnson will meet with Superintendent Sam Fisher, finalize the survey wording, and, if approved by district staff, the council plans to distribute the survey to participating schools, collect results, and use the findings to shape student focus‑group discussions and joint outreach events.