Cortez Masto urges HHS, Education Department to work together to address student mental health

Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto on Tuesday called on the Education and Health and Human Services departments to work together to create a framework for communities and schools to address student mental health challenges exacerbated by the pandemic.

The Nevada Democrat asked HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra and Education Secretary Miguel Cardona for “a bold, coordinated all-of-government response to help kids recover from these pandemic impacts and avert the long-term consequences that come with associated traumas, ranging from learning loss to self-harm and incarceration,” according to a letter given to POLITICO.

Schools across the country may struggle to help students with mental health when they return to classrooms due to shortages of counselors and social workers. The guidance, Cortez Masto said, is especially needed to ensure schools effectively leverage the cash from the $122.7 billion that was included for schools in the latest coronavirus stimulus package.

“The impending mental and behavioral health hurdles that lie before us as kids grapple with the trauma of the pandemic will be the next phase of this public health crisis, and it must be our top focus,” Cortez Masto wrote.

Key Context: Suicide is the second leading cause of death for 10- to 34-year-olds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The Covid-19 pandemic has strained students’ mental and emotional well-being because of increased stress and isolation, according to mental health advocacy organizations. About 55 percent of students didn’t know where to turn for help for mental health challenges, according to a survey from Active Minds, a nonprofit mental health advocacy group.

The Clark County School District in Cortez Masto’s home state of Nevada saw 18 suicides over the course of remote learning in 2020, doubling the number of incidents in all of the previous school year.

Cortez Masto's letter highlighted factors during the pandemic that have taken a toll on students’ socioemotional well-being, including food insecurity among nearly 13 million kids and home instability, with more than a quarter of renters with children being behind on rent.

What's next: The senator is asking Becerra and Cardona to direct their departments to work together to develop trauma-informed guidelines for educators and community-based providers.

For HHS, Cortez Masto urged Becerra to use the Administration for Children and Families to help schools develop best practices for parents and to connect them with services. She also recommended that the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services work to facilitate collaborations between community-based providers and schools.

For the Education Department, Cortez Masto said the Office of Safe and Healthy Students should provide resources to guide best practices for creating welcoming school environments, It could include professional development for educators, evidence-based instructional practices, mental health screening tools,and best practices to build partnerships between schools and community- based organizations.