Editors note: This article has been abbreviated only to show Southern Maryland. To read the full article, please go to Breaking down the Blueprint: The challenges school districts face in meeting students’ behavioral health needs
Lori Morrow says for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan to work effectively; schools must ensure students receive the mental health services they need.
Morrow, the mother of two children and education advocate from Prince George’s County, said school-based health centers should be created and staffed with mental health professionals accessible for students and their families, especially in rural and underserved communities.
“We want kids to be in school. It’s a lot easier to be in school when you’re healthy,” said Morrow, who served her last day Friday as a member of the state Board of Education. “COVID has taken a toll on everybody. We need to have the right mental health…support so that our teachers can focus on education and teaching curriculum.”
As part of the Blueprint process, education officials in all of Maryland’s 24 school systems must outline how they will fulfill the plan’s fourth “pillar,” or priority: providing resources for all students to be successful.
Some of the Blueprint requirements include additional per pupil funding for special education students and English language learners, awarding personnel grants for schools with at least 55% of students on free and reduced lunch, and requiring school systems to provide annual training for staff to recognize mental health and behavioral issues in students.
The legislature approved House Bill 770 this year, which includes allowing a school counselor to join the state’s Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports, a group established as part of the Blueprint law with one of its main goals to expand access to behavioral and wraparound services for students and their families.
Mental and behavioral health have been major topics in Maryland and nationwide.
U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy issued an advisory last month about how social media “can also have a profound risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents.”
Liz Zogby, co-lead with the Maryland Down Syndrome Advocacy Coalition, wants to ensure children with intellectual and developmental disabilities aren’t forgotten in the Blueprint plan.
“There’s a lot of attention and detail that’s been focused on racial and socioeconomic diversity, and rightly so. We have to make sure that that focus on equity also includes kids with disabilities,” she said. “They’re a critical piece for our schools.”
In the meantime, the Blueprint’s Accountability and Implementation Board could start approving the local school system’s plans to provide mental health services beginning on July 20.
First submitted in March, each document must include work school officials conducted, completed, and will continue to implement through the 2023-24 school year. Besides student resources, the other main priorities include providing early childhood education, hiring and retaining high-quality and diverse teachers and preparing students for college and technical careers.
In their initial reports, local officials responded to several questions and statements about student resources with a focus on health.
To provide insight into how school districts plan to support student behavioral health, we have gathered responses to one of the section’s questions: “Discuss the challenges that exist in meeting students’ behavioral health needs and how the [local education agency] overcomes these challenges. Include strategies related to funding, specialized staff, community partnerships, etc.”
Calvert – “CCPS is experiencing a shortage of mental health professionals due to the national shortage. There are not enough school psychologists and school social workers in our schools. In addition, our county health department’s school-based therapists are not fully staffed in our schools. The Calvert County Health Department continues to attempt to recruit more staff to support our schools better. Strategies to overcome these challenges are to provide increased salaries, reimbursement for license renewal, and funding for attendance at professional development.
We require social workers to have their Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C). Still, we are considering changing this requirement to a Licensed Master Social Worker (LMSW) to be able to pull from a bigger pool of applicants. We will discuss whether a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor (LCPC) should be considered an applicant. School Psychologists with Nationally Certified School Psychologist certification receive an annual salary adjustment of $2,500 [and] social workers with LCSW-C certification receive an annual salary adjustment of $2,500, provided certification [for both are] in good standing.”
Charles – “Post-pandemic, CCPS, like many of our other Maryland systems, struggles to meet the myriad social-emotional needs of our returning to in-person learning students. CCPS has seen an increase in severe behavioral incidents, threat assessments, and referrals for mental health services. We currently use multiple funding sources to increase mental health staffing and implement programs to address these needs.
Staff strategies include the following:
- SY22-23 Grant from Charles County Department of Health to fund two Mental Health Clinician
- SY22-23 Three Behavioral Support Teacher positions were created to assist with rising behavioral concerns among K-2 students.
- SY 22-23 regionalized sites staffed with a teacher and IA to work with referred K-2 students presenting significant behavioral challenges.
- SY21-22 Four and a half school counselor positions added to the general budget.
- On-going agreement with community mental health agency to provide mental health services in all schools. Between 12-16, contractor mental clinicians receive referrals from schools to provide intensive mental health services to students in K-12 grade.”
St. Mary’s – “Challenges that impact meeting students’ behavioral health needs include a significant increase in the number and severity of student mental health concerns and limited funding availability to hire adequate staff to support all schools within the district. Eight secondary schools have a full-time social worker providing mental health counseling support to students, and four School Social Workers serving 8 elementary schools. There are 10 elementary schools and two program locations uncovered/unsupported due to lack of funding.
School counselors and psychologists address appropriate needs in these schools and share community resources with families. Ongoing efforts are made to seek funding opportunities to expand services to all school sites and programs. We have utilized grant funding to secure all current School Social Work staff focusing on Tier 3 1:1 (ongoing, individual mental health counseling) student supports. The School Social Work positions are dedicated to mental health support for students. In addition, SMCPS partners with a community agency to provide clinical counseling services for four schools (two elementary and two middle) serving students with state insurance 1-2 days per week.”