After an audit which sampled twenty school districts in New York State. The audit found that they did not provide mental health training to all staff for the 2020-21 school year by September 15, as required by New York State Education Department regulations.
Eighteen of the twenty districts either did not offer mental health training or provided training that lacked some or all the recommended components. Those included how to access crisis support and recognizing warning signs such as obsessive compulsive, psychotic and eating disorders.
“School personnel are often the first to notice if a student is having mental health challenges, and they need effective training to help them understand the signs and symptoms early on,” DiNapoli said.
DiNapoli said it’s imperative that staff be provided on-time training on warning signs that may be an early indicator of mental health issues and concerns.
