WADESBORO — Anson County Schools is partnering with the Sandhills Center to boost mental health support for students.
There are currently 13 social workers, counselors and school psychologists working throughout the district to support the students’ emotional well-being. The current staff conducts wellness checks and makes referrals for services to various support agencies. Referrals include requests for services in the areas of support for mental health counseling, suicide ideation, housing, parent support, childcare, wellness visits, tutorials on how to access Zoom and food insecurity. The staff also makes home visits to deliver food, academic assignments, laptops and perform general wellness checks for high-risk students.
The district continues to have a high need for mental health counselors to coordinate, facilitate and implement mental health services to at-risk students. Many students with the highest needs have families who have difficulty accessing mental and behavioral health services in the community. The needs for these services are even more critical due to the impacts of COVID-19.
Based on the 2019 Youth Risk Behavior Survey data, obtained by surveying students anonymously, and with the pandemic, the district anticipates an increase in the need for student counselling and support staff. The next survey is scheduled for Fall 2021. It will be facilitated by the Department of Public Instruction and submitted to the Centers for Disease Control.
The new mental health support team will ideally consist of two school-based mental health counselors and once parent liaison team member. The mental health counselors will coordinate, facilitate and implement mental health services. This position will also work with a district-level administrative team to lead and lead coordinator position to provide social emotional support and foster a safe and successful learning environment for students at all school levels. The primary focus will be on building students’ capacity for success and positive social emotional well-being.
The district’s parent liaison will oversee and enforce the attendance policy, monitor school-wide attendance data and work with individual students and their families attendance issues.
“On behalf of the Anson County Board of Education, we value the partnership with the Sandhills Center and the Board of County Commissioners and County Manager for supporting our vision for increasing mental health support in the district,” Superintendent Howard McLean said in a press release. “We are excited about how this will benefit students.”
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of school health services, especially mental health services. While the crisis will pass, the critical role schools play in providing healthcare will be more important than ever. The opportunity with the Sandhills Center will take what has happened over the last year and think about supporting these changes moving forward to ensure all students have the access to health services now and when schools fully reopen.
