Two Florida county school days more crowded with MH training

Abstract

Now that the second half of the school year has kicked off, Volusia County's older students can add something else to their to‐do list in between regular classes, school assemblies, emergency drills, extracurricular activities, tutoring and test prep: monthly lessons on mental health, The Daytona Beach News‐Journal reported Jan. 12. The State Board of Education approved in July a new requirement that sixth‐through 12th‐grade students get five hours of mental health awareness and assistance training each year. To meet the new requirements in Volusia County, the district office will provide lessons to schools each month via PowerPoint presentations with voice‐overs and videos, plus one‐page informational handouts. Teachers will facilitate one of three optional discussion questions, and students will complete a monthly sign‐in sheet to show they finished the lesson. In Flagler County, schools will roll out 10 30‐minute lessons between January and March, with the subject matter varying based on the grade. The new initiative, approved at the urging of Gov. Ron DeSantis and first lady Casey DeSantis, expands on requirements that legislators approved following the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The massacre prompted some calls for educators and lawmakers to put their focus on mental health services, rather than adding armed staff at schools. “We will be the No. 1 state in the nation in terms of mental health outreach and school safety,” Education Commissioner Richard Corcoran in a press release in July.