Youth Mental Wellness

AASA staff conducted site visits to four districts to assess students' risky behavior uptake, mental wellness and resilience in March and early April of 2023. The districts included Palm Beach County, Fla., Cannon County, Tenn., Loveland, Colo., and Leyden 212, Ill. These districts were then formed into a Community of Practice to address the behaviors identified during the site visits.

Approximately 95 middle and high school students of various races and orientations participated in focus group discussions with AASA Children’s Programs staff. AASA staff met with each school's counseling staff as well as the superintendent and behavioral health team in each district. While a counselor sat in on some of the focus group sessions, AASA staff discouraged administrators and other staff from being in the room to allow for a true exploration of student narratives and behaviors.