• Lee County School District launched a mental health and wellness portal for students, families, and the community.
• The portal provides 24/7 access to resources and support for mental health and wellness.
• The district partners with local organizations like Valerie's House to ensure resources are updated and accessible, even during summer.

The Lee County School District has launched a new mental health and wellness portal to support students and families, particularly during Mental Health Awareness Month. This initiative aims to provide 24/7 access to mental health resources, addressing the needs of students, parents, and the broader community outside of school hours. The district has partnered with local organizations like Valerie's House to offer expertise and training, ensuring continuous support and accessible resources.

• What: The Lee County School District launched a mental health and wellness portal.
• Who: Lee County School District, students, families, Lori Brooks, Valerie's House, Amy Strom, Stephani Mares.
• When: Launched during Mental Health Awareness Month; resources available 24/7.
• Where: Lee County, Florida.

The launch of the Lee County School District's mental health and wellness portal is a proactive step towards addressing the mental health needs of students and families. By providing 24/7 access to resources and partnering with local organizations, the district aims to offer continuous support, especially during the summer months when school is out. The initiative recognizes that mental health needs extend beyond school hours and emphasizes the importance of community-wide support. The statistic from the National Survey of Children's Health underscores the prevalence of mental health issues among adolescents, highlighting the significance of this initiative.

We realized that families may not always have needs during school hours, and as a service to the community, we wanted to build out a portal that students, parents, and the community at large could access 24/7, on a variety of mental health and wellness topics.

It's important that we're able to share our expertise with the schools, and we've been able also to partner to do trainings for staff and counselors and their mental health teams, but also to provide schools, groups within the schools, and also to help those students and families who aren't lucky enough to make it to Valerie's House.

I have a daughter with ADHD, so she's diagnosed with a mental health disability, but in the end, it helps a child have access to resources. So I think that the school is involved in mental health; it's going to be beneficial to families and students.

The Lee County School District's launch of the mental health and wellness portal signifies a proactive and essential step towards prioritizing the mental well-being of its students, staff, and families. By offering 24/7 access to a comprehensive range of resources, including educational materials, community support services, and crisis intervention tools, the district aims to break down barriers to mental health support and foster a culture of wellness. This initiative is particularly critical given the increasing prevalence of mental health challenges among adolescents and the significant impact these challenges can have on their academic performance, social interactions, and overall development. The portal's collaborative approach, integrating expertise from local organizations like Valerie's House, ensures that the support offered is both relevant and readily accessible, extending beyond school hours and into the broader community. Moreover, by providing training for school staff and mental health teams, the district is building internal capacity to identify and address student needs effectively. This multi-tiered system of support, encompassing universal strategies, targeted interventions, and individual counseling, reflects a commitment to early prevention and comprehensive care, ultimately striving to empower students with the resilience and skills necessary to navigate life's challenges and achieve their full potential.