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David Crockett student urges Washington County to restore social worker and expand mental-health supports
Summary
A David Crockett High School student told the board the school's mental-health staffing is insufficient to meet student needs and urged districtwide action; a representative of the Washington County Education Association backed calls for increased staffing and sustainable revenue for educator pay and services.
Tyler Ball, student representative from David Crockett High School, told the Washington County Board of Education that his school's counseling and behavioral-health capacity is overstretched and urged the district to "make mental health a priority." Ball said David Crockett currently has "3 school counselors, 1 full time Frontier Health therapist, and 1 part time Frontier Health therapist to serve a total of 1,050 students," and described the loss of a school social worker that had supported the hygiene closet and food pantry.
"This is an impossible task," Ball said, adding that peer mediation and student council efforts are not substitutes for consistent professional services. He asked the board to restore the social worker position and to adopt districtwide actions to spread mental-health awareness and supports.
A speaker identified as the WCEA president told the board that retaining quality educators requires more than goodwill and that competitive wages are necessary to attract and keep teachers. "Salary is an investment and not an expense," the WCEA president said, urging the board and county to plan for recurring costs such as salaries.
Board and staff later clarified the funding history for the social worker position. A staff member said the position was initially funded through federal ESSER dollars rather than an ongoing state grant or a permanent local budget allocation. The staff member said that change in funding source—not a statutory prohibition—was why the social worker position was not continued in the same form.
The student's request, union comments and staff clarifications prompted board members to say they would pursue follow-up during budget planning and to consider more consistent, systemwide mental-health supports.
