School leaders focus on mental health assistance

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — School leaders concerned about a mental health crisis are crying out for help

Experts said that one out of every five children in North Carolina is battling mental health or substance disorders and most of them will not get the help they need.

Some said that it is a safety problem.

"There are a lot of kids that have mental health issues,” former teacher Thomas Townsend said.

Townsend, who taught with Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, said those issues often lead to major problems in the classroom.

"I've had children that have just tried to walk through me," Townsend said.

Students who do not get the help they need could develop in behavioral issues that hurt other students.

Some could even commit suicide.

“There are many barriers to receiving mental health services,” said Greta Metcalf, with Meridian Behavioral Health Services and chair of the Mental Health Committee of the Task Force for Safer Schools. “One being transportation. We have lots of rural areas and public transportation just is not as available as other areas.”

Experts told lawmakers at a legislative school safety meeting Wednesday that putting more psychologists in schools would help.

National experts recommend having one school psychologist for every 500 to 700 students.

There is one psychologist to every 2,100 students in Mecklenburg County, a number that is three times higher than what is recommended.

Parents said they believe schools must do more to protect students with mental health issues and their classmates.

"It's something that has to be recognized and it has to be addressed," parent Shelia Spitz said.

The district wants to hire more mental health professionals. It is working on a budget and the details will be presented at a meeting in early April.

The meeting on Wednesday was the first of a new bipartisan School Safety Committee, which formed after the deadly school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

Some have said that the suspect in that shooting had a history of mental and behavioral health issues.

Cox Media Group