According to New Freedom Commission on Mental Health, which was established by U.S. President George W. Bush through Executive Order 13263 on April 29, 2002, mental health is essential to learning. Because of this important interplay between emotional health and school success, schools must be champions in the mental health care of our children.
Schools are a critically important source of information for families about their children, including information about their emotional and mental wellbeing. With children in the classroom for the majority of their day, teachers and school professionals are in a key position to be aware of any learning, functioning and behavioral problems that should be communicated to parents.
Teachers, school administrators and school health professionals may be the first to notice changes in a student’s attendance, behavior and achievement. Good communication between schools and parents/caregivers can be the first defense in identifying when referrals, interventions and/or services are warranted. Although, communication about concerns is essential, teachers, school administrators, and school health professionals should avoid diagnosing a mental health concern. When there are major concerns, parents want to know how best to address these challenges — this may include information/resources regarding a comprehensive health care evaluation and/or a mental health evaluation.
It is important for staff to keep parents informed of any concerns that are seen in the classroom or school. Consider the following tips to assist in handling any parent communication:
In-person communication and phone calls are much better tools to express concerns to parents. If you use email, remember to keep confidential/sensitive information out of the conversation.
Maintain privacy. Make sure students and classmates are out of the area. Set aside ample time to complete the conversation. Make sure parents have time to talk (i.e “Is this a good time to talk?” “Do you have time to discuss..?”).
Convey to parents that you are calling them because you want to work together for the best interest and care of their child. When discussing concerns, focus on observable behaviors only (i.e. “I have observed in class over the past several days…” “Johnny has fallen asleep three times in class in the past week.”).
Include positive attributes of the student along with your classroom observations/concerns.
Be ready to offer resources, information and continuing supports or next steps (i.e. “We have a Student Assistance Program at school that I can refer your child to and someone will be in touch with you with more details regarding that program.”)
Ask if parents have seen the described behavior and how they manage in the home setting (i.e. “Are you seeing any of these behaviors at home?”). Listen first. Talk later.
DO NOT
- Give opinions, diagnoses or labels about the observable behavior (i.e. “I think your child is on drugs.” “Your child needs to be on medications”).
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