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Did you know that Apex Elementary has an Advocacy Chairperson? This individual attends advisory council meetings and Apex Education Advisory Committee meetings, reporting back to us with notes and action items. Our current chair is Carissa White.
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Updates
Two Recent Reports on Mental Health Chart a Clear Direction for NC
This month the NC Child Fatality Task Force released its annual report documenting the trends in child fatalities and mental health needs of our children and making recommendations to improve their health, safety, and well-being. February also marks the release of Hopeful Future Campaign’s report America’s School Mental Health Report Card. Taken together, these reports highlight some clear steps NC should take to address the health of our students. The Child Fatality Task Force (CFTF) is the policy arm of the Child Fatality Prevention System (CFPS) created in 1991 to study and understand causes of childhood death, develop a community-wide approach to child abuse and neglect and make and implement recommendations for laws, rules, and policies to support the safe and healthy development of children. The CFTF studies the data, hears from experts and leaders in the field, and formulates recommendations submitted annually to the Governor and NC General Assembly. Data collected by the CFTF shows a steadily worsening picture for youth mental health prior to COVID-19. Between 2011 and 2019:
And even more distressing, as shown in the graph below, between 2013 and 2019, 16% percent of heterosexual respondents and 44% of gay, lesbian, or bisexual respondents to the NC High School Youth Risk Behavior Survey had seriously considered attempting suicide during the past 12 months. 
Data collected during the pandemic shows that the situation has become worse. Mental Health America collects data from people searching for online mental health services and reported a 9% increase between 2019 and 2020 in the number of youth aged 11-17 accessing the screenings. Their finding showed that youths aged 11-17 were more likely than any other age group to score for moderate to severe symptoms of anxiety and depression.
Of 11-17 year-olds who took a mental health screen in 2020:
These numbers signal a clear call to action. Our students need mental health support more than ever. For the past several years, the CFTF has heard from numerous experts about the important connection between the mental and physical health of students and their ability to learn. Schools’ ability to meet the needs of their students is dependent on the strength of their specialized instructional support team: school social worker, nurse, counselor, and psychologist. However, in NC, funding for these positions has been insufficient, so the recommended student-staff ratios are not being met. Current ratios are shown below with the recommended number in parentheses.
Based on the data and advice of experts, CFTF submitted the following legislative recommendation: Appropriate recurring funding to increase the number of school social workers, school nurses, school counselors, and school psychologists to support the physical and mental health of students and to move North Carolina toward achieving nationally recommended ratios for these professional positions in schools. This is a recommendation legislators can act on in the short session beginning in May. 
The Hopeful Future Campaign’s report is the first-ever national report card grading every state on policies that support mental health and recommendations to guide states in helping their children. Children with mental health problems often struggle in school and home and many do not get the services they need, which can lead to worsened conditions that are harder to treat. One of the most effective approaches is to provide comprehensive mental health systems that work in partnership with communities and schools. School services are especially effective in lowering barriers to care and reducing inequities.
The report scores each state on a 0 to 3 scale in eight categories. North Carolina’s score is in parentheses.
Please contact your legislator and encourage them to implement the important recommendations in these reports. 
The Leandro case has progressed in the courts - On November 10th, Judge W. David Lee ordered North Carolina to move $1.7 billion in available funds to implement the first two years of the Leandro plan. He issued a 30 day stay with the order giving the state an opportunity to comply. Legislative leaders have indicated that they plan to fight the order. At our last general meeting on November 9th, the AES PTA passed a resolution in support of fully funding the Leandro Plan. Read the resolution here. Stay up to date on the latest Leandro news via Public Schools First NC or Every Child NC.
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NOVEMBER 9, 2021 | AES PTA ADOPTS RESOLUTION IN SUPPORT OF THE LEANDRO PLAN
SEPTEMBER 1, 2021 | NATIONAL PTA & NC PTA STATEMENT ON SHOOTING AT MT. TABOR HIGH SCHOOL
National PTA, North Carolina PTA and all PTA members nationwide are dismayed to hear of the shooting that occurred today at Mt. Tabor High School. This was the second shooting at a high school in North Carolina this week. “As students across the country are returning to school in person—many for the first time in 18 months—parents should not have to fear for the safety of their children due to senseless gun violence. As we’ve said too many times—more must be done immediately to protect our nation’s children and families. We cannot wait any longer. “For years, PTA members have advocated for sensible gun safety and violence prevention policies that will make our schools and communities safer for everyone and save lives. We’ve called for research to be funded on the causes and effects of gun violence on youth and communities, as well as evidence-based strategies to reduce gun violence. We’ve also called for education programs to be established to teach students, parents and community members about gun safety and violence prevention. “At the same time, we’ve continuously advocated for improved mental health programs and services for children and families, including the prioritization of mental health education, early intervention, prevention and access to school and community-based mental health personnel and services. And this continues to be more important than ever as mental health and social and emotional well-being are among the most pressing issues to address as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. “We call on Congress to urgently address the epidemic of gun violence as it is destroying our communities. It has been and remains a top priority of PTA to prevent and eliminate gun violence in schools, communities and at home; promote the safety and well-being of all children; and ensure every child has every opportunity to reach their full potential. Our association has developed resources for parents to make sure schools are safe and supportive places for their children, as well as tips on how to talk to their children about violence. We also launched a webpage at PTA.org/MentalHealth with resources to help families learn about mental health and some of the most pressing issues and approaches, along with tools to help families cope. We encourage everyone to get involved in our efforts to protect every child.” About National PTA National PTA® comprises millions of families, students, teachers, administrators, and business and community leaders devoted to the educational success of children and the promotion of family engagement in schools. PTA is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit association that prides itself on being a powerful voice for all children, a relevant resource for families and communities, and a strong advocate for public education. Membership in PTA is open to anyone who wants to be involved and make a difference for the education, health, and welfare of children and youth. For more information, visit PTA.org. About NCPTA North Carolina PTA is the state’s oldest and largest volunteer organization advocating for every child to reach their full potential. Founded in 1919 and affiliated with National PTA, there are more than 920 Parent Teacher Associations in schools across the state with more than 106,000 members. PTAs provide advocacy, vital volunteers, and material resources to their schools. NCPTA supports PTA units and provides programs, training, and advocacy on behalf of North Carolina’s children. To learn more about NCPTA, please visit our website at www.ncpta.org. Contact: Francelia Burwell, President North Carolina PTA Phone (919) 787-0534 office@ncpta.org 3501 Glenwood Ave Raleigh, NC 27612 DECEMBER 12, 2019 | LEANDRO REPORT FROM PUBLIC SCHOOLS FIRST NC
A major review titled Leandro Report: Sound Basic Education for All was released this week. The report comes from Public Schools First NC, a non-profit organization focused on advocacy for public education. This comprehensive action plan is designed to provide a roadmap of the actions and investments that are needed for state leadership to meet the constitutional obligation to provide every child in North Carolina with the opportunity for a sound basic education. To address the eight critical-need areas identified in the research, short- and long-term actions and investments are needed, including the following:
Moving forward on this set of recommended actions will enable the state to lead its education system on a path toward a future where many more economically disadvantaged students have a chance to meet challenging academic standards and become college and career ready. North Carolina has tremendous assets to draw upon in undertaking this work, including a strong state economy, a deep and long-standing commitment to public education to support the social and economic welfare of its citizens, and an engaged business community that sees the value and economic benefits of the public education system. It has a highly regarded system of higher education and community colleges accessible statewide. And the North Carolina educator workforce is highly committed and working diligently every day to meet the needs of at-risk children, even contributing their own resources whenever they can to fill needs. The state also has a history of launching and sustaining successful education initiatives. It invested in building a strong core of teacher-leaders, has the most NBPTS-certified educators of any state, piloted models to leverage teacher leadership, and launched innovative programs for preparing teachers and principals. The state has high-quality data systems, has highly rated early learning programs, and has been a leader in digital learning. Leveraging these many assets and building on its strong history of leadership for education will support North Carolina as it takes on the new challenge to transform its system to ensure access to a sound basic education for all students. NOVEMBER 18, 2019 | BAC8 MEETING NOTES
Our Advocacy Committee Chair, Jen Ferrell, attended a WCPSS Board Advisory Council meeting for District 8. Our district's rep, Lindsey Mahaffey, was present. Dr. Paul Pettiford, Co-Superintendent for Student Support Services, presented to the council on the topic of social emotional learning. | ||||||
