“This is a very concerning issue,” said Dr. Mark Janes, chief medical officer for Bluebonnet Trails Community Services, a Williamson County mental health authority that assists local school districts. “It affects all of us one way or another.”
By the numbers
(Note: these statistics are nationwide)
- 20% of youth (ages 12-17) reported suffering from at least one major depressive episode in the past year.
- 69% of public schools reported an increase in mental health concerns among their students in 2022.
- 39% of schools reported inadequate funding and access to licensed mental health professionals in the 2021-22 school year.
The overview
In LISD, a growing percentage of the district’s 42,500 students need increased mental health services. Referrals to LISD’s Student and Family Support Team of 15 licensed counselors and social workers increased by 33% from the 2021-22 to 2023-24 school year, according to LISD data.
LISD is on track to surpass referrals to its Student and Family Support Team from last school year, with 690 referrals as of early November, said Haley Simmons, Student and Family Support Team coordinator, at a Nov. 7 board meeting. LHISD had 112 referrals to its school mental health counselors as of late December, compared to 117 the previous school year.
Amid a lack of state funding, districts have increased the amount of funding they put toward guidance counseling services in recent years.
The Leander Educational Excellence Foundation has paid for mental health specialists for LISD students post-pandemic. Since 2020, the district has hired additional therapists amid increased student referrals, two of which LEEF is continuing to fund after federal grant funding expired.
LHISD has hired a new counselor to serve students each year since 2021, LHISD Counseling Coordinator Jamie Richardson said. The team of five provide counseling focused on building skills, including relieving anxiety or stress.
Bluebonnet Trails Community Services and Integral Care have partnered with LISD and LHISD to provide additional support for students, including case management and crisis response services.
“The schools sometimes feel like they need more resources, and certainly we want to be a part of that solution where we can,” Janes said.
Students may also receive counseling through Texas Child Health Access Through Telemedicine, or TCHATT—a state-funded telehealth counseling program.
In the 2025 legislative session, LISD is asking state lawmakers to invest in mental health resources and behavioral interventions amid “increasing mental health challenges, such as anxiety, depression and trauma,” district documents state.
The context
Bluebonnet Trails and Integral Care found that isolation from the pandemic, alongside increased social media use and cyberbullying, have contributed to a rise in youth mental health issues. Both organizations have seen an increased need for their services since 2020.
“We’ve seen a notable increase in depression, trauma and completed suicides,” Buchanan said.
From 2018-22, suicide deaths among youth and children in Austin have risen by 65%, according to Austin Public Health.
Bluebonnet Trails observed a rise in admissions to its youth therapeutic respite program in Round Rock, which provides therapy, case management and medication to ages 5-17, Janes said.
“Our crisis teams are very, very busy, especially during the school year,” said Brinti Mueck, director of youth and family mental health operations for Bluebonnet Trails.
The Williamson County mental health authority provides case managers who train students on coping skills, Mueck said. LHISD may refer a student to Bluebonnet Trails if they face a crisis, suicidal ideation or require grief support, Richardson said.
Symptoms of mental illness in children and youth
- Withdrawn or disinterested
- Change in behavior
- Change in weight
- Drop in grades
- Increased online activity
The approach
LISD and LHISD provide several layers of mental health support for students. Although school counselors help students with academic planning, they are the first point of contact for mental health concerns, LISD Director of Counseling Services Steve Clark said at a Dec. 10 community event on school safety.
“People think of school counselors as the people who change their class schedule, when really, they’re much more than that,” Clark said.
Districts provide several layers of mental health support for students.
LISD students may receive individual or group counseling with a parent’s consent. If students need more help, the district may refer them to its Student and Family Support Team. The district may refer students to an outside provider if they need more than eight to 10 therapy sessions, Clark said.
In LHISD, students can receive counseling from licensed mental health counselors based on the severity of their needs and access to support, Richardson said.
Continuum of care
Students in LISD may receive one or several forms of mental health support depending on their need.
Students with identified needs may receive outside referrals or student and family support team counseling, while all students may receive individual and small group counseling or counseling curriculum, group activities, or academic planning, according to information from LISD's website.
The cost
LISD has increased funding for counseling services amid a projected $29.5 million budget shortfall for LISD and $7.5 million for LHISD in the 2024-25 fiscal year.
Texas school districts do not receive funding specifically allocated for mental health services, LISD Chief Financial Officer Pete Pape said. LISD and LHISD cover those costs using the basic allotment of funding per student, which has remained at $6,160 since 2019.
“We haven’t had a funding increase since 2019, and a lot of things changed,” Pape said. “Costs have gone up. Needs have gone up. One of those needs is more mental health services.”
A funding increase could allow LISD to support more staff, Pape said. Texas Coalition for Healthy Minds, an association of around 43 organizations, unsuccessfully advocated for the state to create an allotment for student mental health services in the 2023 legislative session.
Districts may use funds from the school safety allotment to cover behavioral health-related expenses, but funding is often used for statewide safety mandates, said Seth Winick, director of TCHM. LISD is currently creating a multimillion-dollar police department to meet the requirements of House Bill 3, which requires districts to have an armed security guard at every campus.
Since 2020, LISD and LHISD have used grant funding from the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief fund to cover some counselor positions. With funding expiring last school year, LISD has relied on LEEF to fill in funding gaps.
Upon receiving a $129,000 grant from the Moody Foundation, LEEF raised another $51,000 to cover two therapists this school year, LEEF Executive Director Coleen Brighton said.
The Bottom Line
Providing mental health support satisfies a basic need for students, Clark said. While the district can offer great academic programs, students may be unable to access them if they experience a mental health disorder, Clark said.
"Any meaningful learning cannot take place if there are unaddressed mental health concerns," Clark said.
Some lawmakers have disagreed over whether schools should provide behavioral health services, which has delayed additional funding, Winick said.
Brighton said she is grateful LISD has the resources to meet student’s needs but feels the response should go beyond the district.
Education officials, mental health authorities and advocacy groups spoke with Community Impact about the need for a collaborative response between schools, cities, counties, care providers and law enforcement.
“Mental health affects all of us,” Richardson said. “The more that we’re aware of what mental health is, the better chance students have of being successful in school, but also being successful members of the community.”
LISD denied Community Impact’s request for interviews for this story.
If your student is experiencing difficulty with mental health, the following local organizations are available to help:
Integral Care
- Travis County
- 512-472-4357 (24/7 helpline)
- Williamson County
- 800-841-1255 (crisis hotline)
