New practitioners have not been entering the field fast enough, and others have been switching to telehealth or private practices with higher pay and often better working conditions. The district sought to hire staff to address increased student needs such as anxiety, depression and struggles with conflict management, but still had 30 vacant psychologist positions, a district official said this month.Įven before the pandemic, some schools struggled to find psychologists.
“It’s like we are trying to put a Band-Aid on something that needs a more comprehensive and integrated approach.” “Here’s this conundrum that we’re in,” said Christy McCoy, the president of the School Social Work Association of America. Districts have limited time to spend the nearly $190 billion allocated for recovery. Some school systems used federal relief money to add mental health staff, but others did not because they worried about affording them once the aid runs out. were surveyed, but some did not track or provide data. The Chalkbeat analysis is based on school staffing and vacancy data obtained through open records requests. But I also deserve care and support, too.”Ī spokesperson for Cobb County Public Schools said school counselor positions are based on a state funding formula, and the district strongly supports more funding. “They have so many students that they’re dealing with,” said Mira, 17. The Cobb County district, for one, has not added any new counselors. Hiring challenges are largely to blame, but some school systems have invested relief money in other priorities.
Districts included in the analysis, which serve a combined 3 million students, started the year with nearly 1,000 unfilled mental health positions. Some of the extra need for support has been absorbed by social workers - their ranks have grown by nearly 50% since before the pandemic, federal data shows - but they have different training from other mental health professionals and many other duties, including helping families. As a result, many school mental health professionals have caseloads that far exceed recommended limits, according to experts and advocates, and students must wait for urgently needed help. Among 18 of the country’s largest school districts, 12 started this school year with fewer counselors or psychologists than they had in fall 2019, according to an analysis by Chalkbeat.
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