BOISE, Idaho — A group of parents are calling on the Boise School District to implement new solutions to address a growing need for mental health support in schools.
More than 200 parents of Boise School District students have signed a letter to the district's superintendent and board saying more mental health support and solutions are needed in schools.
The letter states two main factors behind depression and suicidal ideation are high stress and social isolation. The group has proposed four initiatives to help support the mental health and wellbeing of students:
- Appropriate technology use to limit distractions in class
- Peer-to-peer support and mentoring through the creation of Hope Squad Boise
- Increasing authentic experiences in the outdoors
- Adjusting school start times to better align with sleep needs of students
"This was a grassroots effort that came from parents and our concern for our kiddos and our desire to best support our teachers, our administrators and the district as we make the Boise Schools an even better place for all of our kiddos to succeed," BSU professor and Boise parent Jen Pierce said.
Organizers behind the petition said their goal is to gather as many signatures as possible to continue to gain support for the initiatives, while communicating with BSD community members on the progress of the action items.
The group is asking the district to form four committees to address each one of the initiatives. Several parents had a meeting with district administration on Monday to talk about the proposed changes.
Pierce said their meeting went well, and the parents are looking forward to a follow-up meeting in the future to further explore the initiatives.
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