The DeKalb County School District is facing criticism from within after school board officials decided not to prioritize mental health initiatives despite receiving a significant federal grant aimed at bolstering mental health services for students. Earlier this month, the DeKalb school board voted to remove mental health initiatives from its legislative priorities list, sparking concern among educators and mental health advocates alike.
Dr. Joyce Morely, a DeKalb County school board member and a licensed therapist, expressed her disappointment over the board's decision in a recent school board meeting. "But y’all took mental health off, you took some of the other important things…there are more important things that we need to look at than the board’s raise," Morely told FOX 5. The board's reshuffled list of priorities includes faster permitting for construction projects and salary increases for board members, but leaves out measures aimed directly at addressing student and staff mental health needs.
In sharp contrast, the district had recently announced a $2.9 million grant aimed at recruiting, training, and retaining school psychologists, which many saw as a step forward for mental health support. Interim Superintendent Vasanne Tinsley has underscored the heightened necessity for such services post-pandemic, with students grappling with losses, trauma, anxiety, and depression. According to an interview by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Tinsley emphasized that "We have to find a way to support those things that pop up with students when they're in our care for eight hours a day."
With the clock ticking on the use of federal pandemic aid, which must be utilized by September 2024, the intentional omission of mental health initiatives from the school board's legislative priorities highlights a troubling disconnect. DeKalb County, which counts approximately one psychologist for every 1,890 students, falls significantly behind the optimal standard of one for every 500 students. Despite the DeKalb school district’s efforts to address these needs using the federal grant, the school board's recent decision has raised questions about its commitment to the mental well-being of its students.
While the school board prepares to present its legislative priorities without any specific mental health initiatives included, Tinsley remains devoted to mental health support for students. The grant will be employed to significantly enhance the district's capacity to provide necessary mental health services, with hopes of hiring school psychologists from diverse backgrounds. "The more people we can have on board that can assist us with our student, staff and family, and community needs, the better," Tinsley told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This statement reveals a shared belief in the crucial role that mental health professionals play in the school ecosystem.
