Robbinsville – School children in Graham County have endured family crises as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and it’s starting to affect their mental health, school officials say.
A snapshot that is revealing are mental health statistics from Robbinsville Elementary School.
Of 660 or so enrolled students at the school, 26 have received individual counseling sessions, including three who were involved in risky behavior.
These aren’t year-to-date figures; they are for the 15 school days in April.
Issues range from drug use in the home to child abuse and trauma, as well as the stress of growing up during a pandemic and economic instability.
The statistics were presented to the Graham County Board of Education during its May 3 meeting.
Compounding the problem is access to affordable mental health care. School counselor Latesha Wiggins said children covered by Medicaid can more easily obtain the care they need compared to children from middle-income households that lack mental health coverage.
Jaime Hooper, principal at Robbinsville Elementary School, said she could not afford mental health care for her children if they needed it.
Also, Medicaid limits the number of sessions a child may attend and after-hours mental health care is difficult to obtain, resulting in either no care or a trip to the emergency room in neighboring counties.
Wiggins said several students have recently moved into the school district – but lack Medicaid and their parents can’t afford private insurance. In some cases, children are turned away from mental health care even if they have insurance.
The numbers include children who are institutionalized or who live in group homes, as well as exceptional children, who are retained at county schools until they turn 22 years of age.
Wiggins said society needs to treat mental health the same way it treats the COVID-19 pandemic – with resources and determination.
Meanwhile, Assistant Superintendent Robert Moody urged school leaders to find ways to provide the necessary mental health serves in-house, and Superintendent Angie Knight urged the Graham County Board of Education to advocate for mental health services through the state legislature.
“There’s never been a need like this,” said Robbinsville High School Principal David Matheson.
School lunches
* School breakfast and lunch have been free thanks to expanded funding resulting from COVID-19, but if that funding ends and children once again pay out of pocket, a school lunch will cost 55 cents more. The reason for the increase is rising personnel costs and the cost of food supplies. Under the proposal, elementary school lunch will be $3.50 and middle and high school lunch will be $3.60. Breakfast will stay at $1.50, and $1 for snacks. The schools will find out whether free lunches will continue in mid-August.