澳门跑狗论坛

Opinion
Professional Development Letter to the Editor

Train Educators to Help Students Experiencing Homelessness and Mental-Health Crises

January 10, 2022 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

To the Editor:

I concur that educators cannot be the sole entities in solving homelessness among our youths and future adults. If appropriately trained, teachers and relevant staff can help bridge the gap in accessibility to various community resources by connecting youths and families to assistance (鈥Our Student Homeless Numbers Are Staggering. Schools Can Be a Bridge to a Solution,鈥漇ept. 14, 2021).

Many students who experience homelessness also experience mental-health crises. As mentioned in the article, homelessness is rising, and COVID-19 has made it even more volatile. According to the U.S. surgeon general, it is the same for mental-health crises鈥攚hich many teachers and school staff are also not adequately trained to handle. Youths and rising adults need wraparound intervention, such as multidisciplinary programs addressing mental health, housing, and employment.

Across the country, teachers have expressed the urgency and importance of proper training in spotting trauma and responding appropriately. In Virginia, the legislature enacted a bill that requires public schools鈥 relevant staff to complete mental-health-awareness training through an approved state agency to help educate and connect school staff to many community-based resources.

All 50 states should have policies that supply additional training to our teachers in handling mental-health and homelessness crises. The training is necessary. Our youths depend on us!

Jurica Brown
Child & Adolescent Mental-Health Case Manager
Master of Social Work Graduate Student
Virginia Commonwealth University
Yorktown, Va.

Related Tags:

A version of this article appeared in the January 12, 2022 edition of 澳门跑狗论坛 as Train Educators to Help Students Experiencing Homelessness And Mental-Health Crises

Events

Artificial Intelligence K-12 Essentials Forum Big AI Questions for Schools. How They Should Respond鈥
Join this free virtual event to unpack some of the big questions around the use of AI in K-12 education.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 澳门跑狗论坛's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in Schools
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of 澳门跑狗论坛's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Science Webinar
Spark Minds, Reignite Students & Teachers: STEM鈥檚 Role in Supporting Presence and Engagement
Is your district struggling with chronic absenteeism? Discover how STEM can reignite students' and teachers' passion for learning.
Content provided by 

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Professional Development Opinion Why Educators Are Abandoning X to Join Bluesky
The rapidly growing social media platform offers connectedness and learning opportunities, all of which can be helpful to educators.
3 min read
Untitled design (2)
DeWitt/Nelson/Canva
Professional Development Spotlight Spotlight on Professional Development
This Spotlight will help you explore innovative approaches to PD that prioritize teacher needs and foster meaningful learning experiences.
Professional Development Opinion Most Teachers Don鈥檛 Think PD Is Relevant. What Can Principals Do?
Two educators offer a blueprint for structuring professional development around teacher learning.
Jessica Calabrese & Elham Kazemi
5 min read
A team collaborates at a desk. A clock in the background represents using PD time differently.
Vanessa Solis/澳门跑狗论坛 via Canva
Professional Development Opinion It Takes a Village to Design the Best Professional Development
How to bring a community-based leadership to your professional learning this year.
Brooklyn Joseph
4 min read
A team huddle. Cooperation. Game plan.
Vanessa Solis/澳门跑狗论坛 via Canva