Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Education Mental Health topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Students’ “Smarts” group pushed for on-campus mental-health ‘decompression’ rooms, speakers say
Summary
Speakers at a school board discussion said a student-led group called “Smarts,” formed after board outreach to Dr. Durant, has influenced the district to prioritize student mental health and advocate for dedicated on-campus “decompression” rooms where students can relax and access support.
A school board speaker said years ago board members asked Dr. Durant to help form a student-led group that would speak with minimal adult guidance; the group later chose the name “Smarts” and has pushed the district toward more mental-health supports.
"We wanted to make sure that maybe we could do something like that," the Committee member said, describing the original board outreach to Dr. Durant and the intent to allow "the students to speak with as little adult guidance as possible." The speaker said the approach was intended to surface student ideas rather than adult-directed solutions.
Carmen Johnson, who identified herself near the end of the exchange, said the group and related efforts aim to give students practical resources. "Just a room to decompress, to, you know, let your feelings out if you're stressed out," Johnson said, describing the kind of space students want. She called the room "an environment to go into if, like, the classroom becomes too much" and said it would offer resources for students to "relax, take a breath, realize that it's okay if you're upset."
A meeting participant added that many students "carry their baggage with them to school," calling that baggage a "huge barrier impacting their education, their focus" and sometimes their self-esteem. That speaker said the district has taken mental health "as a serious priority" in response to those concerns.
Other speakers emphasized avoiding stigma around discussing mental health. The Committee member noted students were concerned about being stigmatized and said the student-led model and the district's response are sources of pride.
No formal motions or votes were recorded in the provided transcript excerpt; speakers framed the discussion as background on the Smarts group's origins and its advocacy for on-campus mental-health resources. The transcript did not specify implementation details such as funding, locations, staffing, or timelines for any decompression room proposals.
