Pewaukee board hears youth risk behavior survey showing rising anxiety and depression; district highlights supports

The Pewaukee School District board on a recent evening reviewed results from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey for Pewaukee High School and heard staff describe district efforts to support student mental health.

Ally Molini, the district’s school psychologist, told trustees that 52 percent of surveyed high‑school students reported significant problems with anxiety in the previous 12 months, 30 percent reported significant depression and 15 percent said they had seriously considered suicide in the past year. Molini said vaping and alcohol use were lower or comparable to state averages, noting 7 percent of students reported vaping in the past 30 days and 26 percent reported at least one alcoholic drink in that period.

"We were most recently at 52 percent of students who report significant problems with anxiety in the past 12 months," Molini said during the presentation. She added district results are similar to or slightly lower than Wisconsin averages on several measures and that the district disaggregates YRBS data by demographics in its internal reports.

Anthony Stranky, director of student services, and Molini emphasized protective factors the district relies on: school‑based psychologists in each building, an expanded counseling team, peer supports such as Hope Squad, and clinical partnerships with WellPoint, GALS and Red Oak that provide on‑site and referral services. Molini described peer‑nominated Hope Squad work, training in QPR suicide prevention, and recent Hope Walk fundraising that raised $10,400 for the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Southeastern Wisconsin.

Board members asked whether the district can use survey findings to drive parent outreach and whether the administration can show trends in dual‑enrollment and other programs. Trustees discussed streaming and archiving parent events — such as the digital family nights with guest speaker Katie McPherson — to increase access for families who cannot attend in person.

Molini said the YRBS will be administered again between January and June 2025 and that the district already uses surveys and behavioral referrals alongside YRBS data as possible indicators of program impact. "We continue to have discipline referrals due to the issue of vaping," she said, noting that multiple measures can help gauge progress.

The board praised increased local investments in student services over recent years, including a building‑based school psychologist in every building and added on‑site clinical partners. Trustees asked administration to share disaggregated YRBS reports and recommended using local data as part of outreach to boost parent participation in wellness events.

The presentation closed with the board thanking staff for their work and with administration committing to provide additional reports and follow‑up materials to the board.