On Oct. 19, the U.S. Department of Education released “Supporting Child and Student Social, Emotional, Behavioral, and Mental Health Needs,” a resource meant to supplement the three handbooks from earlier this year related to safe reopening strategies at public schools and colleges.
“Many children and students struggle with mental health challenges that impact their full access to and participation in learning, and these challenges are often misunderstood and can lead to behaviors that are inconsistent with school or program expectations,” reads the new resource’s executive summary. “The COVID-19 global pandemic intensified these challenges, accelerating the need to provide school-based mental health support and leverage our accumulated knowledge about how to provide nurturing educational environments to meet the needs of our nation’s youth.
“This resource highlights seven key challenges to providing school- or program-based mental health support across early childhood, K–12 schools, and higher education settings, and presents seven corresponding recommendations.”
To download a copy, click here.