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STUDENT TO COUNSELOR RATIOS Area school districts reported a rising need in mental health services for students, with the COVID-19 pandemic compounding conditions like anxiety and depression. Districts are hiring more counselors to reduce the ratio after reporting ratios above the American School Counselor recommendation in 2022-23. Represents 20 students Represents 1 counselor
SCHOOL DISTRICT GRANTS
Bexar County commissioners earlier this year gave 14 San Antonio school districts, including Judson, North Side and North East ISDs, grants funded with American Rescue Plan Act money. Districts are investing in more social workers and counselors as well as peer and parent mental health programming.
Judson ISD
$1.08M
North East ISD
AMERICAN SCHOOL COUNSELOR ASSOCIATION RECOMMENDATION 1 counselor per 250 students
$2.6M
Northside ISD
$4.5M
TEXAS 2021 22 SCHOOL YEAR 1 counselor per 390 students
NOTE: SCHERTZ CIBOLO UNIVERSAL CITY ISD WAS INELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR THE BEXAR COUNTY GRANTS BECAUSE THE DISTRICT RESIDES IN GUADALUPE COUNTY, WHERE ARPA FUNDS WERE USED TO DEAL WITH EXPLOSIVE GROWTH. SOURCE: BEXAR COUNTY COMMUNITY IMPACT
JUDSON ISD 1 counselor per 275 students
services at school. Services are free to students and their families. “I’m excited,” Macias said. “I’m hopeful. I think the renewal is indic- ative of the program’s success, and I think we’re looking to build on that success.” District o cials have plans to expand services and will be building a new facility that will house some of the social services, Macias said. Dis- trict o cials plan to use some grant money from Bexar County that was earmarked to help school districts expand their mental health care within schools, Macias said. Trustees have been told there is a greater need for mental health ser- vices, Macias said, and the district’s approach is to address not just mental health care and counseling but also food insecurity, homelessness and other social services. “It’s just not enough in my opinion,” Macias said. “Maybe, it’s time we had three full-time counselors. There’s just more need than what we have cover- age for.” Increasing crises One of JISD’s partners in providing care is Clarity Child Guidance Center, a San Antonio-based nonpro t mental health care provider and crisis center speci cally for youth. Clarity CEO and President Jessica Knudsen said prior to the pandemic, school counselors and other health care workers were seeing that more children were needing help. One in ve youth su er from a behavioral issue or a mental illness,
have proven to be e ective tools. “Even with all of these supports in place, the number of referrals is more than we had anticipated,” Gracia said. For the 2022-23 school year, SCU- CISD launched its new Mental Health & Safety Series focused on topics meant to help teachers and parents iden- tify warning signs in children. Topics included suicide, drug use and abuse, social media and internet safety, cyberbullying, and more. Gracia said parent participation was so good—with some parents even bringing their children— that the dis- trict plans to expand the program for the 2023-24 school year. “We’re really getting good feed- back,” she said. Judson ISD strengthens partnerships In Judson ISD, on July 20 the board of trustees unanimously voted for a one- year renewal of its $108,600 contract with the Meadows Mental Health Institute, a partnership the district rst entered into as part of its 2021 Social Emotional Learning Plan. The Meadows Mental Health Insti- tute is the district’s lead agency for the San Antonio Mobile Wellness Collabo- rative, which includes partner organi- zations—such as Clarity Child Guidance Center, Rise Recovery and Meadows Mental Health—and provides health services to district students and their families as well as teachers and other sta , Board Chair Jose Macias said. The program is geared to make access to mental health counseling and treatment, and crisis and substance use interventions easier by delivering
NORTH EAST ISD 1 counselor per 288 students
NORTHSIDE ISD 1 counselor per 270 students
SCHERTZ CIBOLO UNIVERSAL CITY ISD 1 counselor per 367 students
SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY COMMUNITY IMPACT
for the rst time and ninth graders who missed out on much of middle school because of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I don’t think anyone had any idea what we would be facing,” Gracia said. “There was trauma. There was food insecurity. The lack of socialization was really impactful.” To address mental health, school districts are hiring more counselors, expanding programming and funnel- ing more money into services. SCUCISD adds resources SCUCISD students are surveyed three times per year to gauge how they are feeling about their social-emo- tional and mental health, Gracia said. “We have seen a steady increase in students who are aware of where to nd resources, which is where we want to see those percentages,” Gracia said. “After COVID[-19], we saw an increase in students reporting symptoms of
anxiety and depression.” As a result, the district hired three licensed professional counselors in the 2022-23 school year. The district also contracts with ANEW Family Coun- seling Center, a Stone Oak counseling o ce with therapists who treat indi- viduals, couples and families. Some of the center’s interns work with stu- dents who need outside referrals. The district has a total of 31 school counselors, three licensed professional counselors, and one licensed clinical social worker who is part of a partnership with Commu- nities in Schools, a nonpro t based in New Braunfels that helps students overcome challenges in schools. The district also partners with Texas Child Health Access Through Telemed- icine, which o ers telehealth services to help identify and assess students, and provide access to mental health services. Gracia said the partnerships
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