Issue link: http://educator.cta.org/i/1505501
" The numbers of kids who are referred or self-refer to mental health services just exploded. Families don't always have access to services. So one of the things we're hoping is [that] our students bring awareness around mental health to parents, to be a bridge to help destigmatize getting services. There is still a lot of shame in families about what it means if their child is struggling with a mental health issue. Through community schools, we connect more with them and help them access services for their students." — ELLEN HOHENSTEIN, Health Academy director Exploration of potential solutions Use the data to determine the needs and assets; the working group with input from others are coming up with ways to use the assets to address the needs, as well as create other assets or bring in services for specific needs. This is an ongoing effort. Some early outcomes: • Class projects: In a first-semester U.S. History class with juniors, Chase Fite's students worked on a public health advocacy project using the community schools framework. "For me, this was a rough draft/dry run for implementing the framework before doing so with other stakeholder groups," Fite says. Focusing on the bath- room issue (see previous page), students developed a needs and assets assessment survey and pushed it out to the school for completion, and created a website where they analyzed survey data, presented historical context of the issue, explained the science behind why the issue is harmful to the community, and put forward philosophical and ethical theories that they used to argue whether or not to act on the issue. Students then presented their findings to other classes, teachers and administrative leaders, and engaged in collaborative dialogue about solutions the community would want to see implemented. In a second semester AP Government class, Fite had students refine the working group protocols for deter- mining and implementing solutions. This class found that the root cause of the bathroom issue was vandalism due to lack of student ownership, and that a student art installation, for example, could allow them to regard the space as their own and discourage vandalism. Another class found the root cause to be bathroom drug use and vaping, which cause other students to avoid bathrooms. Students suggested those who are caught using drugs take part in a Social Justice Academy-run student mentoring program with a focus on restorative justice. • Next wave of planning: The district is paying for a two-week 2023 PBL summer institute where the working group and other stakeholders are delving deeper into the needs and assets data to come up with solutions. For example: creating a mental health campaign through Hoover 's Health Academy, as data shows more than half of students don't know how to access the school's mental health services; and dedicating community schools funds to more supports offered by community partners, such as those involving mental health. These new efforts around mental health build on current/earlier initiatives by educators such as Ellen Hohen- stein, whose students work on campus-wide projects to bolster mental health awareness and interventions, and Elizabeth Lonnacker, whose students created mental health public service announcements for the school. • More opportunities for engagement: "Parents want the school to become that hub where they can have meaningful relationships with each other and with other positive adults," says Gijon. To that end, he and Hoover have further developed resources and events for students focused on social connections, and for par- ents/families focused on health and wellness, government and community programs, etc. C O M M U N I T Y S C H O O L S 36 cta.org Social Justice