School counselors sound cry for help after Buffalo shooting

A surge in student mental health needs, staff shortages, and widespread episodes of misbehavior and violence have put extraordinary strain on school counselors and psychologistsEvery school, it seems, has a moment that crystallizes the crisis facing America’s youth and the pressure it is putting on educators.For one middle school counselor in rural California, it came this year after a suicide prevention seminar, when 200 students emerged saying they needed help. He told staff, “Dot our i’s, cross our t’s because I don’t want to be on the news in a year, or five years, saying that the school didn’t do something that we should have to prevent this.”A surge in student mental health needs, combined with staff shortages and widespread episodes of misbehavior and violence, has put extraordinary strain on school counselors and psychologists. “If we don’t intervene in time, the issues that come with grief are going to be compounded in a big way to create additional challenges.”Lopez and other counselors convened a discussion early last week on how to help students process fears related to the Buffalo shooting and whether it was safe to go to the supermarket.Federal relief money has helped address shortages of mental health professionals at some schools, although some have struggled to find qualified hires or used the aid to train existing staff.The challenges are compounded by an increase in gun violence on school grounds, said David Riedman, a criminologist and co-founder of the K-12 School Shooting Database, which keeps a national tally of instances when a gun is fired at schools.According to that tally, there were 249 shootings in K-12 schools in 2021, more than twice the number in any year since 2018, when Riedman began the database.