How some South Bay schools expanded mental health services

Editor’s Note: This article was written for Mosaic Vision, an independent journalism training program for high school students who report and photograph stories under the guidance of professional journalists.

The pandemic lockdown left many high school students with feelings of grief and disconnect from their school communities. When classes resumed in person, South Bay school districts, like those across the country, were offered federal COVID relief funding to address pandemic concerns.

Some districts used those funds to improve their mental health services, while other districts chose to invest in addressing pandemic learning loss, the digital divide and other needs.

East Side Union High School District prioritized using COVID relief funds to beef up its wellness centers, where students can meet with counselors to discuss stressors in their lives — everything from grief to home instability to drugs and violence — that impact not only their mental health but their academic performance as well.

“If you take care of people’s mental health and physical needs they will grow and flourish in the classroom like you have never believed,” said Rachel Stanek, an English teacher at the district’s William C. Overfelt High School. “These are holes left in the human heart to the point where it’s like ‘Who cares about math, my dad just left.’

“Since our American health care system is so inadequate for families who are not rich and highly employed, it is even more essential that students attending all public schools in California have equal access to the mental health care they need, even if their parents don’t have insurance,” Stanek said.

Across the district, schools hired more full-time counselors in addition to student interns. With increased staff, Overfelt’s program allows for drop-in visits by students. “It’s there if you are feeling anxiety or just need a place to go,” Stanek said. “Having someone to just talk to you is outstanding.”

Overfelt junior Mayra Del Maco appreciates efforts of her school’s Wellness Center staff to create supportive environments. She notes that without the wellness center, it can be difficult for some students to get help due to the lack of conversation surrounding mental health.

“They were really helpful in just talking to the students. I felt like I was safe,” Del Mazo said. “A lot of kids are going through things and they feel alone. If they don’t feel safe enough to go get help, they won’t.”

Santa Clara Unified also invested in student mental health. After the pandemic, Adrian Wilcox High School expanded from two full-time counselors to six in its campus wellness center.

“The difference is in our ability to get to know kids. Counselors now actually get to know kids for four years,” said Mike La Fleur, a Wilcox counselor. “Kids get a lot more out of it. Families get a lot more out of it.”

According to the Santa Clara County Office of Education, school wellness centers allow students to voice their mental health concerns, with more students taking advantage of the increased accessibility made possible after the pandemic.

Other districts used their federal funds for other purposes. San Jose Unified School District prioritized addressing the digital divide, pandemic learning loss and safety needs, according to San Jose Teachers Association President Patrick Bernhardt.

“A large portion was spent on health and safety during both return to learning and ongoing disease mitigation,” Bernhardt said. “We also focused on mitigating consequences of the pandemic by providing academic support and summer programs.”

As East Side began investing in mental health services, it also removed police from its campuses after the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Community members pressing to make students of color feel safer and less at risk at high schools advocated for this shift in emphasis.