Mental Health is Wealth: Increased Support for BIPOC Students
A national pandemic, racial injustice, economic inflation, and a migrant crisis are a few of many pressing challenges impacting the current state of mental health for students across the nation.
According to The Center of American Progress, “in April, less than 25 percent of district leaders – and only 5 percent of urban superintendents – said they were able to continue meeting student mental health needs at pre-pandemic levels” (Quirk, 2020). Although mental health has increasingly become a topic of discussion and heightened importance, it begs the question how can we elevate support for mental health on a national level? We cannot strive towards educational equity without improving the current state of mental health, especially for BIPOC students, who are least likely to be diagnosed for mental health illnesses and receive treatment.
In the aftermath of the pandemic, students have experienced heightened levels of anxiety, which can make it difficult to build relationships with their peers and school community. This directly correlates to students’ lack of engagement, attendance, and academic performance at school. Many educators have reported students that experienced the pandemic during transitional periods, such as Sophomore students, are significantly lagging behind academically in comparison to their peers. In order to address gaps in academic achievement, we must first focus our attention on creating environments that support a whole-student approach. This must take into account the stigma related to seeking mental health services, especially for communities or color, who may be skeptical of such practices.
Coupled with a whole-student approach and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) lens, we must acknowledge the significant role funding plays in being able to provide critical services and resources. School districts across the nation have adopted social emotional learning curriculum but do not have the financial capacity to prioritize mental health support, such as increased mental health staff and programs, due to tight budgets. Without accesible options, the most vulnerable students risk being left behind or pushed out of school. Beyond a reallocation of resources across individual school districts, there needs to be continuous investment on a federal level in providing economic relief funding.
Addressing mental health for students, especially BIPOC students, is not a one-size-fits -all approach but one that requires differentiated support depending on the student population. However, we cannot begin to address mental health needs without investment on a state and federal level, which upholds current grassroots efforts to increase mental health access.
