Keystone Central superintendent: student mental‑health need is growing but staffing is scarce

Superintendent Dr. Frank Redond told the host that student mental-health needs have risen in Keystone Central School District and that staffing shortages make it difficult to meet demand. He said the district is seeing "increases in the number of students who are feeling in distress" and that survey responses show the district is above the state average for students who say they feel "no good."

To identify needs, Dr. Redond said the district "started a universal screener for all of our students to check in periodically with them to see who needs these kind of supports and at what level they need those supports." He added that for about three years the district has called for additional mental‑health support staffing but "we just can't find people to apply for the jobs."

Dr. Redond described access challenges in a largely rural district: students who must travel to receive mental‑health or medical services often miss a full school day, and parents — particularly in a high‑poverty community — may have to miss work, compounding the impact on families. He said the district’s size and the scarcity of local providers make it harder to deliver services.

No specific hires, contracts or program expansions were announced during the interview. Dr. Redond portrayed the district’s current response as a combination of screening and continuing efforts to recruit clinicians and support staff.

The interview also noted that district programs such as the Career and Technical Education Center are growing, which Dr. Redond cited as an area of success amid the budget and staffing pressures.