The majority of public school teachers in Connecticut said they are not equipped to handle the worsening mental health needs of their students.
That’s according to an annual back-to-school survey from the Connecticut Education Association (CEA) and WFSB.
Across the state, educators are reporting an increase in concern around depression and suicidal ideation, said Kate Dias, president of the CEA.
According to Dias, 89% of teachers surveyed "spoke to the concern about increased stress and anxiety” and 82% are concerned with “increased aggression and dysregulated behaviors” from students.
Some of those students are brought by ambulance or private transportation to one of Connecticut's four urgent care crisis centers for children, including at the Village for Families & Children in Hartford.
“A lot of kids are feeling quite isolated, and suicides and thoughts about suicide [are] increasing,” said Dr. Laine Taylor, medical director at the Village. “We're talking as young as 11 years old on up through 18.”
The problem is compounded by a low student to social worker ratio in several districts, including Killingly, Dias said. In that town, the Board of Education has heard long-standing demands from parents to ramp up access to mental health care.
“They’re still struggling,” Dias said. “They have one school psychologist for 2,423 students. That is not a great ratio. Their school social workers are at 445 per social worker. That's a lot of need.”
‘We're not trained as social workers’
Across Connecticut schools, data shows an aggregate of one counselor for every 324 students in pre-kindergarten through grade 12 and one school psychologist for every 485 students in that age group.
“Darien, where there's great wealth in the community, [has] two social workers, which puts their ratio at one social worker per 2,300 students,” Dias said. “Bolton has one social worker for their 699 students.”
“Our teachers articulate this all the time, ‘We love our students. We care deeply about them, but we're not trained as social workers,’” Dias said.
More than 80% of teachers surveyed reported seeing behavioral changes in their students including: increased stress and anxiety, increased aggression or dysregulated behavior and more distractions.
Increased absenteeism was also a widely reported concern among teachers.
Additionally, 87% of the surveyed teachers said they are concerned about their safety and the safety of their students, and reported aggressive student behavior, including threats and harm directed at them.
As youth mental health concerns rise, parents feel the strain, too
An August advisory from the U.S. Surgeon General said 33% of American parents reported high levels of stress in the past month compared to 20% of other adults.
Severe or prolonged stress can have a harmful effect on the mental health of parents and caregivers, which in turn can affect the well-being of the children they raise.
“Parents and caregivers today face tremendous pressures,” said U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy in a statement.
“From familiar stressors such as worrying about their kids’ health and safety and financial concerns, to new challenges like navigating technology and social media, a youth mental health crisis, an epidemic of loneliness that has hit young people the hardest,” Murthy said. “As a father of two kids, I feel these pressures too.”
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide or is in crisis, call or text 9-8-8 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.
Connecticut Public’s The Accountability Project contributed to this story.
