June 5, 2015
Schools: Mental health absences on rise
HOMER — There has been a noticeable increase in student absences related to mental health issues, according to Homer Senior High School Principal Douglas Van Etten, who explained the trend at the May 26 board of education meeting.
Homer is among the districts taking steps to stem this problem by making mental health counseling more accessible to students in school. Van Etten said the increase was notable because of the increase in services, from counseling to tutoring, depending on the needs of the student.
Van Etten declined to say exactly how many Homer students have missed school for mental health issues.
Kids come to school wanting to do their best, but students and their families are facing many issues that impact the students’ mental well-being and that, in turn, impacts their school attendance, VanEtten said. He emphasized that there is no single issue that can be pinpointed as the cause of the trend.
“It isn’t as simple as saying it’s one thing; it’s a combination of many things,” Van Etten said, adding that there are numerous challenges in the community, from poverty to drugs, or medical conditions. Anxiety stemming from increased standardized testing is another factor that Van Etten said may play a role in some of these absences.
Because of the diversity of issues students face, Van Etten said, “it’s important to treat every student as anindividual.”
The district is working with Family Counseling Services to take a “kid-by-kid” approach, offering individualized attention, including counseling, tutoring and help with completing assignments, Van Etten said.
Reaching these students, some of whom are receiving treatment and are unable to attend school, has becomeanother goal of the district.
Two years ago, Homer schools joined with Family Counseling Services to make mental health counseling available on site to students, Homer Superintendent of Schools Nancy Ruscio said.
Ruscio said that students who might have sought counseling on their own may have to wait several weeks for a scheduled appointment, but many of the issues impacting student attendance and performance are short-term crises.
“We’ve begun to stem (absence) increases as a result of the partnership,” Ruscio said, though she could not offer specific data to support the claim.
Ruscio said the counseling program is now offered in two schools, and she hopes to expand to other schools in the district.
Van Etten said the district’s goal is for 100 percent of its students to graduate, and the on-site counseling services support that goal.
“It’s a lofty goal, but no kid deserved anything less,” Van Etten said. Despite the figures on mental health-relatedabsences, Van Etten said there has been an increase in graduation rates in the past few years. In 2014, 91 percent of seniors graduated from Homer High School, up from 87 percent in 2013. Homer leads the county in graduation rates along with Cincinnatus and Marathon. The graduation rate for Homer has been on the rise over the past four years, according to Van Etten.
McGraw Superintendent of Schools Mary Curcio said Family Counseling Services has also been partnered with McGraw for the past two years to offer counseling services at school. In the first year of the partnership, Curcio said a Family Counseling Services counselor provided part-time services, but this year a counselor has been available for students on a full-time basis at the elementary and high schools.
Curcio said the program is invaluable, not only for the support it provides students, but also for parents who do not have to alter a work schedule to bring a child to a counseling session. Curcio said parents can also reach out to counselors on behalf of their child if they feel a need.
The school-based counseling service is available at many locations including Cortland, Cincinnatus, DeRuyter, Marathon, and the Cortland Alternative School, according to Family Counseling Services’ website.
In addition to the partnership with schools, Family Counseling Services also provides an early recognition screening program that surveys parents about the social, emotional and behavioral functioning of their children. Parents are contacted if a concern is indicated on their survey, and are connected with mental health services, according to Sue Marks, the director of school-based programs for the agency.
About 2,000 surveys are sent out to parents each year, and about half are returned, Marks said.
“Even if they don’t send them back, at least they may be considering it,” she said.
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