2022 EDUCATION EDITION
CONSTANT COUNSELOR GROWTH In addition to investing in safety and security, Conroe ISD has invested more in school counselors to meet increasing guidance needs.
NUMBER OF COUNSELORS
COUNSELOR SALARY ALLOTMENT
MENTAL HEALTH IN THE STUDENT BODY
$13M $12M $11M $10M
$12.7M
$11.7M
$10.7M
$10M
Experts said mental health issues have been exacerbated by national events such as school shootings and the pandemic. 37% of high school students had poor mental health throughout the pandemic. 1 in 3 high school students experienced persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness in 2019, a 40% increase from 2009. 1 in 6 youths reported making a suicide plan in 2019, a 40% increase from 2009. SOURCE: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER SAFETY HOTLINES KidChat Hotline Anonymously report suspicious activity around CISD by calling 888-543-2428. Anonymous Alerts App Students in CISD can report any suspicious activity via the Anonymous Alerts app by entering “ conroeisd ” at login. Willis ISD students can also report activity at https://report.anonymousalerts. com/willisisd. Let’s Talk! Access Montgomery ISD’s Let’s Talk! web platform at www.misd.org or download the mobile app to submit a safety tip.
$0
SOURCES: CONROE ISD, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
its platforms for students, sta and the community to submit safety tips, including a panic alert app that will allow sta to alert local police if there is a potential intruder or a crisis, Marino said. The district’s existing Let’s Talk website for feedback has been expanded to allow users to submit a safety tip, and a text feature has been added to allow students or sta to text a safety tip directly to district administrators. In WISD, the district announced in early August new additions to its safety measures, including conduct- ing schoolwide lockdown drills with students, installing metal detectors at Yates Stadium and implementing a clear bag policy for district events. The clear bag policy became e ec- tive Aug. 5 and is in place for all sporting, ne arts and districtwide activities, according to the policy, allowing clear backpacks, totes or purses of any size. In addition, trustees approved the addition of a ninth o cer to its school resource o cer team July 13. The dis- trict is investing $65,000 for the new position’s salary, Superintendent Tim Harkrider said. “We are excited to bring another o - cer on board, and that’s something that our board of trustees over the [next]
few years—as we are growing as a school district, we really want to continue to add o cers to our force,” he said. Access to mental health services With an increased need to create a safe, secure school environment comes additional mental health stress, o cials said. As such, CISD has added to its school counselors each year. In 2018- 19, the district had 142 school coun- selors at a cost of $10 million total for base pay; that number increased to 169 counselors for 2021-22 at a cost of $12.7 million, according to CISD. Kim Earthman, CISD director of student support services, said there are 180 counselors on sta in 2022-23, including two crisis intervention spe- cialists, a mental health specialist, a college and career readiness supervi- sor, and a coordinator of guidance and counseling. According to CISD, coun- seling services encompass academic, social and emotional needs. To increase the mental health ser- vice o erings for students and sta , CISD has also partnered with Tri- County Behavioral Health, which o ers mental health services to Lib- erty, Montgomery and Walker coun- ties, for four clinics in the Caney Creek
and Conroe high schools’ feeder zones. “Demand is high for services across our service area, regardless of age,” TCBH Executive Director Evan Rober- son said. “During my tenure as execu- tive director, we have quadrupled the number of kids we see on a monthly basis, and the only reason we have not done more than that is that I have a hard time nding the sta to do it all, but the demand is very high.” To meet the demand, Roberson said TCBH used $6 million in funding this year from the American Rescue Plan Act through the Montgomery County Commissioners Court to open a child- only clinic in Porter for the Caney Creek feeder zone for CISD. The clinic opened June 6. “We added that clinic and capacity to serve potentially another 500 kids,” Roberson said. “One of the features of that clinic is that over half of our sta is bilingual Spanish, including the psychiatrist. By doing so, we are also able to give a little more space for our existing clinics.” Peyton MacKenzie contributed to this report.
For more information, visit communityimpact.com .
SOURCES: CONROE ISD, MONTGOMERY ISD, WILLIS ISD COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
TWU Houston Open House Sept. 17, 10 a.m.-noon Texas Medical Center
MBA • Health Care Administration • Nursing • Nutrition & Food Science • Occupational Therapy • Physical Therapy
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CONROE MONTGOMERY EDITION • AUGUST 2022
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