SHEBOYGAN, Wis. (WHBL) -- Sheboygan school officials say they're stepping up their support for resolving the mental health issues of their students.
Sheboygan Schools Superintendent Joe Sheehan says all of the district's students are given a voluntary health assessment each year. "Then we take a look at that and say, 'Okay, what are some areas of support we need to be giving to our students?', and then coordinating with the county and the city." He says those surveys help identify at risk students who may be suffering from depression, anxiety or abuse issues at home or at school.
State officials are recognizing the need for this sort of help for students. "There was a new legislation passed that allows schools to have people come onto their campus, clinicians, to serve students with mental health issues." Sheehan says that sort of support is critical to reaching students who need that help. "And we can argue over it all we want over whether we should do it or not. But the bottom line is that if a student is going to learn, there's some basic needs that they need to get taken care of too, and that's where the county and the city and the district works together."
The issue of student mental health comes to a focus after the shooting at Antigo's prom, and Sheehan says the school's best defense against that sort of attack is to reach the students before they come to the decision to take such tragic actions.