What is the district’s role in supporting student mental health in today’s high-pressure environment?

TL; DR: For students to flourish, we must recognize that strong academics and strong mental health are completely intertwined. A reactive approach that treats mental health as an afterthought leaves our students to navigate a "pressure cooker" of 24/7 social media and academic stress alone. A proactive culture of resilience is built by weaving vital life skills like empathy and critical thinking into the entire K-12 curriculum so every student is seen, supported, and equipped to succeed in the classroom and in life.

To educate the whole child, we must embrace a fundamental truth: strong academics and strong mental health are completely intertwined. We simply cannot have one without the other. This core mission is undermined when wellness is treated as an afterthought, especially as our students navigate unprecedented and incessant stressors—from a 24/7 social media landscape to the “pressure cooker” environment that research shows can lead to the highest rates of anxiety, depression, and substance use in affluent suburban districts.

That is why I have consistently advocated for a comprehensive, two-pronged approach that addresses both prevention and treatment.

First, we must intentionally embed essential life skills into every part of the K–12 experience. My approach is grounded in the work of Dr. Stuart Ablon at Harvard Medical School, who reminds us that it’s not about strengthening a child’s will—it’s about building their skills, especially in problem-solving, flexibility, and frustration tolerance. I pair this with insights from Dr. Guy Winch, who advocates for teaching “emotional first aid.” He points out that while kindergartners know how to handle a physical paper cut, they often don’t know how to tend to the “psychological paper cuts” we all experience—like rejection, loneliness, or being left out of a birthday party.

By integrating this kind of skills-based learning into our existing arts, academics, service-learning, and leadership programs, we equip students to navigate challenges long before they become crises. We can also expand this work through evidence-based philosophy and civics programs that meet state standards while nurturing empathy and ethical reasoning—both of which help address those psychological paper cuts. The key is to empower faculty to carry this work forward, embedding it deeply into the core of what we already do.

Second, I support the incredible mental health services that we offer our students. They truly are a model of excellence. They are robust, accessible supports for students who are struggling now. That is why I have consistently voted to expand student access to mental health professionals in all our school buildings and building strong referral networks. While my doctoral dissertation work focuses on finding the long-term root causes and solutions, our immediate duty is to act.

By combining proactive, skills-based education with accessible, professional care, we create a holistic system that prepares students to flourish—not just in our classrooms, but in the complex world that awaits them.