Feb-Mar 2022 Advisor

HEALING

FEBRUARY–MARCH 2022 CEA ADVISOR 5

exhausted and increasingly burned out. School staffing shortages are not new, but what we are seeing now is an unprecedented staffing crisis across every job category. This crisis is preventing educators from giving their students the one-on-one attention they need. It is forcing them to give up their class planning and lunch time to fill in for colleagues who are out due to COVID. And it is preventing students from getting the mental health supports needed.” (See story at right.) While educator shortages predate the pandemic, particularly for substitute teachers and in hard-to- staff subjects such as math, science, special education, and bilingual education, these shortages have grown in the past two years and expanded to encompass positions such as bus drivers, school nurses, and food service workers. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there are 567,000 fewer educators in America’s public schools today than there were before the pandemic. What is the answer? Teachers support several proposals to address burnout, including adding more mental health supports for students (especially school counselors, social workers, and psychologists), hiring more teachers and support staff, reducing paperwork, and increasing pay. They also cite improved ventilation systems as the safety measure they most want to see in schools (see story, page 10). “We know massive staff shortages are leaving educators increasingly burned out, and myriad other factors are contributing to teachers’ stress,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “We’re tackling these at the bargaining table, at board of education meetings, through legislative and public awareness campaigns, and by every other means at our disposal.” An Act Building Successful School Communities is a detailed legislative proposal CEA is bringing before lawmakers this session. Among other things, it seeks to establish maximum ratios of students to social workers (250:1), school counselors (250:1), and school psychologists (500:1), far lower than Connecticut’s actual caseloads (see story, top right), as well as caps on special education nationally recognized organizations with expertise in special educator and paraprofessional educator effectiveness. It will also require local and regional boards of education include in their annual reporting to the State Department of Education a needs assessment identifying resources necessary to address the level of student trauma impacting children and staff in their schools. “CEA is pushing legislators, administrators, government officials, and others to ensure better teaching and learning conditions, appropriate mental health supports, and the funding to recruit and retain great educators and hire much-needed support staff,” says Dias. “These are not nice-to-haves; they’re must-haves.” Stay on top of key education bills as they move through the legislature. Watch your inbox for Action Alerts from CEA. teacher and paraprofessional caseloads, as recommended by

CEA social media campaign urges greater mental health supports in schools, improved air quality Just as teachers are feeling the stress of the pandemic, students are coping with everything from academic and social pressures to the health and economic impacts of the pandemic on their families. In any given year, one in five children in the U.S. will exhibit signs of a mental health disorder; since the pandemic, anxiety, depression, and loneliness among children have only increased. Dangerously high ratios of students to school counselors, psychologists, and social workers were well-known to educators before the pandemic. Today, with children’s mental health at even greater risk, the need for well-resourced schools is more urgent. “We’ve launched a social media campaign—What You Don’t See—calling attention to this silent epidemic and calling on legislators to help address it,” says CEA Communications Director Nancy Andrews. “Our campaign features powerful video interviews with parents, students, school counselors, and others telling their personal stories and describing how school professionals are often a lifeline for struggling students.” 2021 Connecticut School Counselor of the Year Curtis Darragh, a middle school counselor in Danbury, says, “It’s a constant carousel of students presenting with mental health challenges. We are seeing children with cutting behaviors. We are doing risk assessments for suicide. We are also seeing students who just need to check in and talk to someone. At any given time, however, I may have five or ten students on my waitlist, and my biggest fear is, ‘Who did I miss?’” Crisis proportions At a rally last year calling for better student-to-counselor ratios and other school resources, Danbury student Will Sweeney publicly thanked Darragh for having helped him through a difficult period when he was younger. Although his parents are both educators (his mother is a teacher and his father a school counselor), Sweeney explained that students need trusted adults outside their families and within their schools to talk to. He expressed concerns that with escalating ratios (Darragh now has a caseload of 375 students), students like him could easily fall through the cracks. “I am always worried about that,” Darragh says. “I may be dealing with a number of students experiencing mental health emergencies and wondering about the others who came knocking on my door. Will they be OK?” WHAT YOU DON’T SEE Recognizing all the ways teachers care for their students, CEA works to ensure members have opportunities to care for themselves as well. “We’re enlisting Member Benefits partners to provide freehealth and wellness supports that can lift teachers up in these stressful times,” says CEA President Kate Dias. “We’re committed to finding every opportunity for our members to feel centered, cared for, and valued.” In December and January, CEAMember Benefits partners Peaceful Chaos Yoga (Cromwell) and Sacred Rivers Yoga (East Hartford) opened the doors of their virtual studios to all CEA members and their families. Over Zoom, they offered Stress-Free Sundays and Mindful Mondays yoga sessions, which CEA provided free for its members.

Indeed, a study released in February by the National Alliance on Mental Illness found that 39,000 K-12 students in Connecticut suffer from major depression—24,000 without treatment. Suzanne Talbot is a school psychologist at Groton Middle School, which has an approximate student population of 1,000. “We’re lucky that in our building, we have three full-time school psychologists, two full-time social workers, six full-time school counselors, and two full-time school-based health center clinicians. These ratios allow us to be proactive with students’ mental health in many ways, and that’s important, because the need is greater now than it ever has been.”

Ratios of students to school social workers

580:1

Connecticut average

250:1 Recommended

Unfortunately, that is not the case in most Connecticut schools, where the average ratios of students to school counselors, school social workers, and school psychologists far exceed the recommended maximums. A report released in late February by the National Alliance on Mental Illness found Connecticut’s average ratios are 457:1 (students to school counselors), 548:1 (school psychologists), and 580:1 (school social workers.)

Watch for What You Don’t See on CEA’s social media platforms and at cea.org/whatyoudontsee

YOU DESERVE A BREAK—CEA PROVIDES RELIEF

Exercises in mindfulness continued in February, with Copper Beech Institute’s 14Days of Love, offering freeonline meditation exercises every day leading up to Valentine’s Day. The focus on wellness continues this month, with Sweaty Saturdays—virtual fitness classes every Saturday in March with Joyful Fitness, at no cost to you. (Watch your inbox for details and registration info, or go to cea.org .) In addition to their free offerings, all CEAMember Benefits partners provide discounts to members throughout the year on products and services you need and deserve. Check out all the benefits available to you at cea.org/discounts . There’s an App for That Offered in partnership with

Sanvello Health, the NEAMental Health Program is designed to give NEAmembers on-demand, confidential access to help manage stress, anxiety, depression, and other mental and emotional health challenges so you can feel happier over time. As part of your NEA membership, you can get access to Sanvello’s premium subscription for 30 days—and a 25 % discount after that. You also can receive a 10 % discount on one-on-one coaching support and anonymous group video sessions. Find out more about this benefit available through NEA Member Benefits at neamb.com .

Free Zoom classes, 8:30 – 9:15 a.m. March 5 March 12 March 19 March 26 Register at cea.org