pressure to succeed, and fierce competition
were impacting the students in high-per-
forming school systems, causing extreme
levels of stress and anxiety. Both district
and site personnel expressed difficulty with
meeting community expectations regard-
ing academic excellence while also having a
positive approach to student wellness.
With the development of AB 2246, sui-
cide prevention and interventions are the
new mandate for all California school dis-
tricts as of the 2017-18 school year. The data
from this study regarding suicidal ideation
were aligned with the current literature, and
superintendents interviewed expressed their
significant concern regarding the effect a
student suicide can have on a school and dis-
trict. Early identification, parent education
and prevention programs were described as
the key to limiting the influence of mental
health concerns on student achievement.
The data also suggested that given the in-
creased demands on schools regarding stu-
dent mental health, there have been changes
to the role of the school counselor. Thus,
18
Leadership
school districts interviewed were using their
money creatively for new staff positions that
may not have been present previously. Super-
intendents indicated allocation of additional
counseling resources and therapists to school
sites as a critical part of addressing stress,
anxiety and depression among students.
Survey data and interviews showed that ad-
ditional counseling personnel was a focus of
funding for some of these districts. Mental
health and wellness appear to now account
for a major portion of the spending allocation
for high-performing school districts.
A critical key to the research conducted
was understanding how high-performing
school districts in California were address-
ing student mental h ealth and wellness is-
sues on their campuses. Our study found
four main themes in high-performing school
districts’ approach to addressing student
wellness: professional development, staff-
ing, programs and policy changes. Preven-
tion and intervention were the foundation
of these four areas of addressing student
mental health and wellness. The intended
outcome by school districts was to reduce
stress and create opportunities for support,
which in turn would decrease the anxiety
and depression seen in their students and
ultimately reduce the number of students
expressing suicidal ideation.
A robust professional development pro-
gram for staff is one of the main ways school
districts are increasing awareness and high-
lighting warning signs for teachers and staff.
With the demands on school sites due to
the increased frequency of mental health
issues, staffing was an integral outcome of
the survey and interview data. Although
not all school districts interviewed had been
able to increase their counseling staff, it was
the most common need expressed by both
school site personnel and superintendents.
It was clearly recognized that there is an in-
creased need for on-site therapy and coun-
seling to support student wellness, and this
need can only be met through an increase in
support providers to students.
Another common theme amongst those
surveyed was some type of program to ad-