In the wake of several student deaths during the 2016-17 school year, Leander ISD has been aiming to make mental health resources known to students and their families.
According to school district officials, nine students in LISD died last school year. At the time district officials could not confirm if any of the deaths were potential suicides. In the spring LISD officials held mental health presentations to provide information on available school and community resources, and to provide advice for parents, students and community members.
Since that time the district held more meetings in the fall to continue informing the community on available resources. During a joint meeting with Leander City Council in October, LISD staff members presented on what has been done so far.
“Last year we experienced multiple tragedies in our district,” Superintendent Dan Troxell said to council members. “It’s important that we get the word out, through the City Council here in Leander and through our community, the ways and means that we’re trying to reach our students and their parents in the community to say that there is help available, and we’re here to assist you.”
Steve Clark, the director of counseling services with LISD, said the district began working with the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program through Johns Hopkins University in the spring. Clark said Dr. Karen Swartz, a practicing physician at Johns Hopkins specializing in mood disorders, made the community presentations and provided materials free to LISD through a university grant.
Clark said about 300 community members received information about mood disorders in adolescents from Swartz in September. One of those presentations was at Cedar Park High School, where 160 people attended.
“Dr. Swartz was very impressed with the size of our groups—she stated it was the largest group she’s ever presented to that didn’t coincide after a tragic or a crisis event at a school campus,” Clark said.
Communications Coordinator Matt Michell said the district does not currently plan to have Swartz teach more presentations this year, but he said they may be scheduled as needed.
LISD and Round Rock ISD also hosted training for middle school and high school counselors and administrators from school districts in the area in May and September. The university program trained 181 educators, with 58 of those being LISD counselors, Clark said.
Those counselors are now able to teach the Adolescent Depression Awareness Program lessons to grades 9-12, he said.
The lessons do not serve as screeners for depression. Clark said the lessons will teach the differences between depression and temporary feelings of sadness, and will help students identify the symptoms.
He said the students would receive lessons over two 90-minute class periods, and each lesson ends with teaching students to tell an adult and to get help. He said district staff will be reaching out to parents to inform them of the lessons, and parents can choose to have their children opt out.
“Nationally the average span between the first episode of depression or other mood disorder and the time an individual receives treatment is typically eight years,” Clark said. “Our goal in teaching these lessons is to help reduce that time span.”
