Education
BY CASSANDRA JENKINS
A report released by Rice University’s Baker Institute in early May on mental health challenges in Houston ISD students found that over one-fifth of respondents reported experiencing mental health issues in 2023, with a 35% increase from 2011 in the number of students who reported suicidal thoughts or tendencies. According to the report, nearly 14% of HISD students reported a past-year suicide attempt in 2023, while the rate for students in the United States in the same year was slightly under 10%. HISD students also reported an increase in bullying from 2021 to 2023. In 2021, 9% of Houston students reported having been bullied. By 2023, that number rose to above 15%. The Baker Institute also examined school safety and its influence on missing school. In 2023, 19.3% of students said they missed school due to feeling unsafe and 13% were threatened or injured with a weapon on school property. Student mental health issues spike
Assessing the need
Emergency Management Agency-declared major disasters, including hurricanes, flooding, winter weather and drought, according to the report. Christopher Kulesza, lead author of the Baker Institute report, said that having on-campus resources is a critical component to addressing mental health challenges among students. He listed three policy recommendations, including: • Investing in fully funded, on-campus mental health services • Expanding anti-bullying interventions • Developing proactive responses to safety concerns “Schools are oftentimes the primary provider of mental health support for children; while a challenging task, schools have an important opportunity to connect students with necessary resources and provide a familiar, supportive environment,” Kulesza’s report read.
Shubhra Endley, director of mental health and wellness at Communities In Schools, a nonprofit organization that supports at-risk youths, said recent natural disasters, including the pandemic, were likely factors in the increased mental health challenges noticed in students. “We start to see a lot of trauma related to these large storms, like Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Ike and Hurricane Harvey,” she said. “Then we had the pandemic. With students being cut off from everything, that created a big spike in depression and anxiety.” According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 37% of high school students experienced poor mental health during the pandemic. A Texas A&M study in 2022 also found that Houston residents who experienced two or more hazardous events within a five-year time frame saw reduced mental health. From 2000 to 2020, the Houston area experienced close to 33 Federal
2021 2023 Houston ISD suicidal behaviors trends, 2015-2023 2015 2017 2019
What’s being done
Seriously considered suicide Made a plan for suicide
+26.67%
someone to talk to who is a safe, non- judgmental person,” Endley said. “It doesn’t matter how old you are, or where you live, it’s always helpful to have extra support in our lives.”
Communities In Schools has licensed mental health professionals at 135 campuses across five districts, including Houston ISD. Students and families can use the program free of cost. If a campus doesn’t have a licensed professional, parents are asked to reach out to the campus leader and request services. “All of us at some point in our lives need
+28.57%
Attempted suicide
+7.69%
Providing services Communities In Schools serves 26 campuses and three Sunrise Centers in Houston ISD.
10% 15% 20%
0% 5%
SOURCES: CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION, HIGH SCHOOL YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEY/COMMUNITY IMPACT
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