Counselors Not Part of One California District’s Plan to Tackle Student Mental Health

Saugus Union School District in northern LA County is replacing their school counselor positions with social workers.

The reason behind this is that social workers are better equipped to address the root causes of student anxiety and depression (like poverty, other family-related issues).

This district has gone through problems like a school shooting, wildfires, increasing political polarization, and on top of all that, Covid.

They have seen a rise in mental health problems among their students, thus the decision to hire the social workers. However, counselors say that they should stay to help the students, especially since many of them have developed relationships with students and their families.