CEA Advisor_April 2022

COMMUNICATING

8 CEA ADVISOR APRIL 2022

On November 1, 2019, threeweeks before his birthday, Clinton student Gavin Carlisle was in the thick of a school project when he told his father he was running out for supplies. Later, thetwo planned to work on college applications. As president of his senior class and vice president of the Interact Club, Gavin had much to be proud of and even more to look forward to. That evening, however, he never returned home. The 17-year-old became one of 20 Connecticut children who would die by suicide that year. Chris Carlisle has never stopped grieving for his son or wondering how things might have turned out had there been more mental health supports in place at school. “Nobody knew about Gavin, but if there could have been more help, maybe they could have picked up on something,” Carlisle said in an interviewwith CEA. “The caseloads are too much right now for these therapists and counselors, and they can’t do it all. I wish we had more when Gavin was alive.” Carlisle’s story is part of a broader CEA social media campaign—What You Don’t See—that shines a light on the problem of understaffed schools as well as “sick” buildings— those with poor air circulation, toxic mold, and other hard-to-see problems that impact students’ and teachers’ health and well-being. Personal, often heartbreaking stories illustrate the need for greater resources and supports in schools and legislative action to address these needs. WHAT YOU DON’T SEE

Greater school mental health supports, improved indoor air quality top priorities CEA SOCIAL MEDIA CAMPAIGN REVEALS ‘INVISIBLE’ THREATS TO CONNECTICUT STUDENTS

A critical moment The campaign comprises full-length interviews and video clips featuring teachers, parents, students, and school mental health professionals, as well as image ads with powerful messages about what students need. Throughout the legislative session, these videos and other messaging targeted to Connecticut lawmakers have been running on multiple platforms, including Facebook and Instagram. “We are at a critical moment, and our students can’t wait,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “Many Connecticut schools don’t have enough teachers or certified mental

far beyond the immediate and obvious. Children who have mental health support become adults who are productive, successful members of our society.” Triage Students who need trusted mental health professionals to talk to are being waitlisted, says CREC school social worker Jill Soucy. Overwhelmed with emergency risk assessments and de-escalations—often 10 or more walkie-talkie calls in a single day—she says she and many of her colleagues are no longer providing the everyday interactions, connections, and support that students need.

for their younger siblings.” “There are so many students who need support,” says Mansfield school counselor Eileen Melody. “They’re dealing with anxiety, family concerns, homelessness, parents with substance abuse issues, and so much more. It takes time to work with these students, because the issues are so important and very traumatic.” “And yet,” Soucy adds, “we spend so much time putting out fires that we often don’t have time to be proactive or provide meaningful follow-up.” Sick schools In addition to the invisible backpacks so many students carry with them, says CEA’s Dias, the school buildings in which they come to learn often present invisible risks of their own. “Students in schools with HVAC systems that are outdated or not well- maintained face another hidden threat to their well-being: poor indoor air quality,” she explains. “CEA has been tracking and helping its members with reports and remediation of mold, poor ventilation, excessive heat or cold, high levels of humidity, and more, right within their school buildings. The data our teachers have collected and we have been presenting to lawmakers is astonishing.” First-person stories in CEA’s What You Don’t See campaign include the perspectives of students, parents, and educators alike on the issue of school building conditions:

Students are coming in with what we call an invisible backpack.” LYNN NISSENBAUM, NEWMILFORD SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST

Instead, they’re busy putting out fires. “Increasing numbers of students are coming to school with what we call ‘an invisible backpack,’” explains New Milford school psychologist Lynn Nissenbaum, who is part of CEA’s What You Don’t See campaign. ”They’re coming in with anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, homelessness, food insecurity, suicidal ideation, family substance abuse, and so many other problems that existed before the pandemic but have now reached crisis proportions. You would think that our youngest learners don’t really have any problems, but that’s not true.” “There’s yelling, there’s screaming, there’s climbing on bookshelves, there’s cursing, and we’re seeing all of these overt behaviors at the elementary school level,” says Soucy. “Not only that, but we see students sometimes being parentified,” Vernon school psychologist Emma Nissenbaum adds. “When their parents are not capable of parenting, children are having to step in and shield and care

health professionals to meet the growing needs of their students, and until that changes, we risk having more children like Gavin falling through the cracks.” With only one school counselor for every 457 students, one school psychologist for every 548 students, and one school social worker for every 580 students, the average caseloads in Connecticut schools are staggering. “These statistics are alarming, and it’s what our educators are seeing and dealing with every day,” says CEA Vice President Joslyn DeLancey. “The recommended ratios are 250 students per school counselor and school social worker, and 500 students for every school psychologist. We are so far above those recommended

WHAT YOU DON’T SEE...

Chris Carlisle’s son, Gavin, was one of 20 Connecticut children who took their own lives in 2019.

numbers. Mental health is not a luxury item. It is not something we can afford to discount or try to

economize with staff. This is an investment that pays dividends