Over the next couple of months, all Lake County Schools students in grades 6 through 12 will participate in five hours of Youth Mental Health and Emotional Health Education, as required by Florida Administrative Code 6A-1.094121.
All Florida districts were required to submit lesson plans by December 1. Later they will be required to provide documentation that verifies implementation and completion of the plan.
The state law requires all mental health lesson plans to include:
- Recognition of signs and symptoms of mental health disorders;
- Prevention of mental health disorders;
- Mental health awareness and assistance;
- How to reduce the stigma around mental health disorders;
- Awareness of resources, including local school and community resources;
- The process for accessing treatment;
- Strategies to develop healthy coping techniques;
- Strategies to support a peer, friend, or family member with a mental health disorder;
- Prevention of suicide; and
- Prevention of the abuse of and addiction to alcohol, nicotine and drugs.
Shortly after the requirement was announced in July, First Lady Casey DeSantis said in a Department of Education news release that she and Gov. Ron DeSantis have traveled the state and heard from many families who voice concern about the struggles that adversely affect many children.
“We know that 50 percent of all mental illness cases begin by age 14, so we are being proactive in our commitment to provide our kids with the necessary tools to see them through their successes and challenges,” she said. “Providing mental health instruction is another important step forward in supporting our families.”
In Lake, two digital education platforms will be used to deliver instruction to students: Everfi Courses and Know the Risks: A Youth Guide to E-Cigarettes created by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) Office on Smoking and Health. While students will take a pre- and post-knowledge survey through Everfi and complete an exit ticket to determine what they have learned, no information about their personal behaviors will be collected or maintained.
Mental health professionals will participate in the training and will be available to students who want or need additional support.
Families of all middle- and high-school students received an automated phone call on December 6 to let them know the lessons would soon begin. A letter was sent home to parents via the Peachjar web app this weekend with more details. The exact dates of the instruction vary by school.
“It’s no secret that mental illness robs students of the ability to reach their full potential, and we are joining forces to combat this disease and give our students the tools they need to thrive,” Commissioner of Education Richard Cororan has said. “We are going to reinvent school-based mental health awareness in Florida, and we will be the number one state in the nation in terms of mental health outreach and school safety.”
According to a CNN report, Florida is the third state in the US to require students to learn more about mental health, behind Virginia and New York.
