For Social Emotional Health in School

Submitted by SSYP

Mayor Marty Walsh has announced an additional $2.4 million for the Boston Public Schools budget, thanks to a campaign led by parents of St. Stephen's Youth Programs and a coalition of teachers, students, community members, nurses, psychologists, and social workers. The funds will be used to employ specialized personnel: eight nurses and twelve psychologists and social workers.

After analyzing the lack of resources for socio-emotional support in schools, a team of Latinix parents from St. Stephen's Youth Programs concluded that the lack of this support was having a negative impact on students' learning and health. According to Janet M., an immigrant mother of three girls, "My daughters had to wait three weeks for an appointment with the school's psychologist when I was about to be deported; this was because the psychologist's caseload was too big to respond to an urgent crisis. My children only wanted someone to listen in those tough moments."

Parents soon discovered that this type of caseload and limited support was a common issue in all the schools, so they launched a campaign to create district-wide solutions. They presented a unified Latinx voice at the School Committee Meeting on February 7, 2018. Wearing red, dozens of parents presented testimony about the need to increase the budget and dedicate sufficient staff to meet the socio-emotional needs of students and families. Many nurses and other school mental health professionals joined the arguments of the parents, sharing their own stories and experiences in the schools.

Parents from St. Stephen's Youth Programs testified at a press conference organized by BEJA (Boston Education Justice Alliance) on March 14th, 2018. Isabel Heredia, a St. Stephen's Youth Programs parent, said, "My 6-year-old daughter asked me, 'Mami, where do I go if a shooter comes into the school?'" This conversation between mother and daughter came after the shooting at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas school in Parkland, FL, which sparked a national conversation about mental health in schools. "We need psychologists that can help our children in situations like this. If our children don't feel safe, they won't be concentrated on learning," said Ms. Heredia.

Thanks to the coalition's efforts, on Wednesday, April 4, 2018 Mayor Marty Walsh announced that the City of Boston would add $2.4 million dollars to the public school budget. "Providing students with resources to help foster their physical, emotional, and mental health goes a long way toward putting them, and keeping them, on a path to success," Mayor Walsh said. The funds will pay eight nurses, seven bilingual psychologists, four bilingual social workers, and one director of social work. Parents particularly applauded the commitment to hiring bilingual specialists. Rafaela Polanco, a St. Stephen's Youth Programs parent who immigrated to the US two years ago, said,"When you come from a country where the language is not English, it is hard to integrate into schools. Having bilingual staff inside the public schools helps our children's development."

The $2.4 million are a step forward, but this funding still falls short of meeting the needs of schools and students. Even counting these new positions, 50 out of 125 public schools--40 percent of schools--still lack a full-time nurse. Ariel Branz, Parent Organizer at St. Stephen's said, "The Blackstone Innovation School, with a population of 600 students, has only one counselor. Additionally, it has a high percentage of English Language Learners, students with special needs, and students living in low-income communities. In suburban school districts, this lack of support would be unimaginable and unacceptable." Parents are committed to continuing the fight for the socio-emotional well being of their children and students across the entire school district.