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DeSoto County Schools highlights mental-health work, shares student and parent testimonials
Summary
The district presented mental-health statistics and program outcomes at its May 7 school board meeting, saying 10,362 students received counseling referrals this year and describing partnerships and school-based services that staff and families say have helped students.
Wanda Williams, a representative of DeSoto County Schools’ mental-health team, told the school board that the district has prioritized student mental health and cited statewide and local figures showing elevated need.
Williams said approximately 28,000 children in Mississippi experience major depression and that 16,000 of those youth receive no treatment; she added that nearly 19% of Mississippi teens have seriously considered suicide and about 9% have attempted it. She then described the district’s own workload: 3,740 elementary referrals, 4,244 middle-school referrals and 2,378…
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