1. United States
2. Wisc.
3. Letter

I am a mother of two school-age children, a teacher, and a proud member of my community in Waukesha, Wisconsin. I strongly oppose recent cuts to federal money for student mental health in schools. The administration just announced it would stop paying money currently being used by schools for ensuring they have more counselors and social workers in place for direct student mental health care. It was part of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act passed by Congress in 2022. Student mental health has been a growing concern as rates of teen depression, anxiety, bullying, and more has risen dramatically in the past decade, and some of that has contributed to heightened threats and violence in the schools. Additionally, resources to help students are stretched very thin. I personally have a friend here in Wisconsin who is a school social worker, and she travels among four different schools throughout her work week. While she has amazing skills and compassion for her students, you can imagine that she is not able to physically be at each building regularly enough. Districts across Wisconsin and our nation are similarly struggling to have enough people to meet student needs, and this Act and funding was working to bring relief. This funding is being pulled under the guise of somehow violating civil rights law or the current administration's obsession with branding anything they see as tied to DEI as wrong. This program is practical, evidence based, and followed the exact parameters they were given to hire qualified professionals to help children. I am disgusted and angry that this administration keeps targeted the most vulnerable among us and stripping programs and funds that are doing good for our children. Please speak up today to restore these funds, which were voted on and approved by Congress. They touch every state in our nation and have been helping our children to navigate some truly hard issues in their daily lives.