Schools can provide counseling, other mental health services and referrals to community professionals to support students and their families. Students will get much needed help, and parents and teachers will benefit because students can focus on learning. Staff can offer parents the opportunity to attend counseling sessions and support groups along with their children and can develop a local community network so that referral services can be made as soon as a problem is identified. Staff Wellness Students are not the only ones who need to stay in good health. Educators and school staff are important role models for students.
Successful schools have healthy, highly motivated staff with low rates of employee absenteeism.
Schools can consider enacting a number of activities to make sure that teachers and staff feel their best and perform at peak levels. Simple health screenings, such as blood pressure, so that staff can identify early symptoms of disease. Working with parents, businesses, local health officials, and other community groups, schools can form powerful coalitions to address the health needs of students. Successful programs include job training, ESL classes, computer classes, and health assessments for family members, etc. Community needs assessments can assist districts in identifying the needs in their community.