A Mental Health Clinic in School? No, Thanks, Says the School Board

When Connecticuit expanded its mental health offices in schools, it ran into fierce opposition from parents.

Teenagers in America are reporting high levels of depression and anxiety. But when Connecticut expanded its mental health offices in schools, it ran into fierce opposition from parents. In the past few years, the pandemic caused an increase in mental health problems throughout the country. To combat this, schools plan on expanding their mental health services to offer more help to students. However, parents worry that these expansions will allow students to talk about controversial issues unknowingly to their parents. Services in Connecticut allow students to receive up to six mental health treatment sessions without parental consent. This caused many parents to question if their children would go around them to talk about issues like abortion or birth control. Consequently, they oppose expansion of services claiming that parents should be able to keep track of their children. Students supported the expansion, stating that early intervention in mental health issues would alleviate hardships and pressure. The state’s decision is yet to be made.