Restore Mental Health Professionals to our Schools
- Vanessa Hall
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Vanessa Hall's public input to the Fairfax County School Board on February 20, 2025.
My FCPS budget input comes in the form of a story.
Because I knew transitioning to high school would be hard for my daughter, our first stop was to meet the school psychologist--we’ll call him Mr. D--when she started high school.
And I’m so glad we made that connection, because Mr. D has been the primary adult she has gone to time and time again. In fact, in the first month of 9th grade, she had an insurmountable problem in ASL (not uncommon for dyslexics by the way).
Mr. D and I worked together to empower her to make informed, good choices, which enabled her to advocate for herself to move into a class where she thrived. With Mr. D’s guidance, my daughter went from feeling like a failure–and having grades that reflected those feelings–to getting nearly all A’s her Freshman year.
In other words, Mr. D’s immediate efforts and availability supported my daughter to begin her high school career with confidence by empowering her to succeed rather than fail. My daughter is one of hundreds, if not thousands, whose education outcomes have been improved by Mr. D.
However, due to last year’s budget cuts, Mr. D is splitting his time between Woodson and Lake Braddock High Schools, which means he is available half-time at each school, causing instability for students who don’t know when he will be at their school. It also makes it hard for Mr. D to serve the individual needs of 5,000 students! Of course students can always see someone else, but we know that's not the same as working with a trusted adult who has an open heart and great guidance.
Every single school from elementary through high school deserves a Mr./Mrs./Mx. D. But last year’s budget cuts eliminated trusted adults from across the county and students are suffering. I bet their parents are suffering too.
Please do whatever you can do to ensure that there are mental health professionals placed back in each of these schools to support our students who need them now. Thank you.
4 Public Education is dedicated to support students, staff, schools, and the community. However, mental health really requires professionals in many situations. Since it is hard to access mental health care for many, families should know that they can access care at their public schools and through public health.
