Chatham district presents Feb. 2025 wellness survey showing high adult connection but persistent mental‑health risks

The School District of the Chathams presented results of a February 2025 student wellness survey to the Board of Education, saying the data show strong adult‑student connections alongside worrying mental‑health signals that the district plans to address with new training and partnerships.

“this survey is completely anonymous and we had more than 1,500 students complete this,” said Kate DeSantis, the district’s supervisor of student health and well‑being, during a detailed presentation on national benchmarks, local findings and planned interventions. Assistant Superintendent Blair Rosenthal noted that 87.7 percent of surveyed students report feeling connected to at least one adult at school — above the national average cited in the presentation.

District presenters described the survey sample and topics: about 1,590 responses this February compared with about 1,677 in 2023, with 272 students opting out (135 at CHS, 137 at CMS). The questionnaire covered sleep, cell‑phone and social‑media use, caffeine and energy‑drink consumption, gambling behaviors, harassment and peer conflict, non‑suicidal self‑injury, and suicidal ideation and planning. DeSantis said the district identified 121 combined risk assessments and hospitalizations during the school year and reported that 40 students required mental‑health clearance to return to school; the presentation also referenced 21 behavior‑threat assessments and six students who required mental‑health clearance.

The survey flagged eating‑disorder behaviors as an area of concern. “This is alarming,” DeSantis said as she summarized responses indicating avoidance of food, purging or laxative use; the presentation noted that nearly 20 percent of respondents reported some form of weight‑control behavior. The district said it will partner with Monte Nido to provide professional development for HPE teachers, nurses and counselors and will hold a Monte Nido presentation in December for school professionals.

School officials described local support capacity: 18 school counselors k–12, one district SAC, three Aspire clinicians, a child study team that includes 11 school psychologists and social workers, and contractual relationships with outside providers. The district also uses a content‑filtering and monitoring tool (Securly) to flag concerning Chromebook searches or messages for follow‑up by staff.

Board members pressed presenters on survey wording and how the district can reach the roughly 13 percent of students who reported no trusted adult. DeSantis said anonymity limits direct identification but emphasized counselor outreach, targeted professional development and peer‑mentoring programs (for example Cougar Mindset and Start with Hello) to build connections. Rosenthal pointed to Aspire clinicians’ work with school‑refusing students, including family sessions and home visits to support reentry.

The presentation concluded with planned programming: professional development on trauma‑informed care, suicide‑prevention training, CPI and de‑escalation techniques for staff, a wellness fair and monthly wellness events at CHS. Board members expressed appreciation for the depth of supports and encouraged continued monitoring and clarity on survey questions for future administrations.

Next steps: the administration said it will continue to refine survey wording, expand staff training and pursue outside partnerships to address disordered‑eating concerns and suicide‑risk interventions.