As we get closer to the upcoming school year, it’s important to think about how to address student mental health. The pandemic has been difficult for everyone, but it has had an especially significant impact on our youth, who were already experiencing record high levels of poor mental health: The CDC reports that “More than one in three high school students had experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, a 40 percent increase since 2009.”

After having their lives upended by COVID-19, students are finally getting back into the routine of things, but their mental health should still be a major concern, as poor mental health can lead to trouble performing well in school, social isolation, and even self-harm or death.

In 2019, the CDC also reported that one in six youths had made a suicide plan within the last year, showing just how important it is to address this problem.

When it comes to a young person’s mental health, it is typically a parent, teacher, or other school staff member who will first notice something is wrong, but without proper communication, this observation can be overlooked, leading to the student not receiving the help they need. Instead, when parents partner with their child’s school, they can work together to identify students who need help and provide them with the proper resources.