As much as politicians and media want it to be otherwise, there is no teaching license, not expertise, that certifies teachers in the area of mental health. There is no major or minor in colleges of education for the certification of a mental health teacher. There is no student teaching preparation for the instruction of mental health. With the exception of a DPI-certified school psychologist, there is no faculty or staff member in a school who is remotely prepared to inquire into another person’s mental health. Any teacher, administrator or school staff member who engages as a professional in the treatment of mental health, acts are their own peril of practicing without a license.
That said, any person advocating that public schools must identify and attend to children who exhibit characteristics of mental illness is guilty of obfuscating the issues of mental health in our state and local communities. Mental illness is a serious problem that requires the attention of trained and expert practitioners in the mental health industry. Psychologists. Psychiatrists. Therapists. Clinicians. These are persons trained to engage with the afflictions of mental health. The 50,000-plus public school teachers in Wisconsin have a full-time professional commitment to educating children and are not substitutes for trained mental health practitioners.
Oh, you say there are not enough trained mental health professionals. Or, there are none in your community. Or, care from a mental health professional is expensive. These are facts and it is these facts that must be addressed. Politicians who want to make a difference in improving the mental health of their constituents need to act to fund the training of more mental health professionals. We observe political will to provide tax incentives, grants and forgivable loans to industry in the name of “jobs.” Mental health jobs warrant their action.
But, you continue, when children of poverty come to school hungry, schools provide free lunch. And, when parents are not at home to supervise children before or after school, schools provide activity programs. And, when children need pencils and school supplies or coats and hats, schools usually have resources that provide. These and more examples of how schools care for the needs of children are true, but they are far from the requirements of mental health.
Every time a governor or legislator or congressman publicly laments that failed mental health resources are the causation of a tragic event, I ask, “And, what have you done to assure adequately trained mental health professionals for your state or community?”
The problems of mental health will not be solved in schools or by school faculty and staff. We will support the work of mental health professionals just as we support children with their physician-prescribed medications during school hours. We will become “first responders” for children demonstrating mental health crisis just as we are first responders of child abuse. These are positive and appropriate roles for educators.
While I grieve for every victim of a crime perpetrated by a person suffering with a mental problem. I shall not tag a local public school with a responsibility for the too often uttered lamentation, “We must assure that this never happens again.”
Instead, I shall promote the responsibility of state and county government to provide the services of trained mental health professionals in local public mental health clinics. Government provides for the defense of the accused through the legal services of public defenders. In the same vein, government should provide publicly supported mental health services to the afflicted. Providing public assistance in front of the injurious actions of persons with mental health issues is more efficacious than using public resources to deal with their aftermath.