The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a motion by Supervisors Kathryn Barger and Janice Hahn to create a countywide plan for the provision of school-based mental health services through the Department of Mental Health.
The supervisors’ motion came as an amendment to a motion by Supervisors Mark Ridley-Thomas and Hilda Solis, which sought to identify up to $10 million for mental health services and mental health resources in Los Angeles County funds that could be directed to Los Angeles Unified School District.
Thousands of LA Unified teachers, represented by United Teachers Los Angeles, went on strike last week fueled by demands for smaller class sizes and more support for students and educators including more nurses, counselors and librarians. The $10 million would have been enough to fund a school nurse on every LAUSD elementary campus.
“There are 80 school districts in Los Angeles County and it is important for us to look at this as a countywide effort, as the issue impacts all of our schools,” Supervisor Barger said in a statement. “I have met with local schools in my district and they agree there is a critical need for mental health programs and services to support our students.”
Barger and Hahn’s motion will direct the Department of Mental Health, in coordination with the Los Angeles County Office of Education, the Chief Executive Office, and the Auditor-Controller, to develop a countywide plan to provide school-based mental health services, including but not limited to prevention and early intervention services, education, support, and outreach. A comprehensive report is due back to the board in 45 days.
“Every conversation that we’ve had with school districts in our district; this is really a countywide issue,” said Erick Matos, Health & Legislative Affairs deputy for Supervisor Barger. “The need for mental health services and support in our schools is very important, and that’s very important to the supervisor. So she wanted to take this opportunity to highlight this issue and look at it from a countywide perspective, knowing that it is not only an issue in LAUSD, but also in our Antelope Valley schools and our Santa Clarita Valley schools, and our San Gabriel Valley schools.”
The report should also include the identification of resources, a timeline for implementation, and any other relevant information.
“While the motion was originally focused to LAUSD this is a problem that’s everywhere, so we wanted to be sensitive to that and make sure all of our schools were at the table for this needed service,” Matos said.
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