Pols: Mental health to be school topic

City kids reeling from the emotional effects of the pandemic will get extra mental health support when they return to school virtually or in person this fall, city leaders said Wednesday.

Extra cash from philanthropic foundations will fund curriculum, teacher training and a mental health hotline to attend to kids’ emotional needs, officials said.

“Even before this pandemic, the majority of our students faced trauma every day,” said Schools Chancellor Richard Carranza. “Now after the added trauma and upheaval of this pandemic … rebuilding those personal connection and honoring our students’ lived experiences is more important than ever before.”

The new program will build on an initiative spearheaded by Mayor de Blasio’s wife, Chirlane McCray, to introduce “restorative justice” in place of suspensions and expulsions in city middle and high schools, and teach elementary school students ways to manage their emotions.

With funding from the Robin Hood, Grey and Tiger foundations, city officials plan to expand training on “trauma-informed” teaching to all city educators, and provide curriculum guides to all city schools.

The new training comes as city teachers scramble to plan lessons and bone up on remote learning — often without knowing who or what they’ll be teaching as schools grapple with shifting rosters of students and teachers.

Advocates lauded the city’s attention to kids’ mental health, but urged more targeted resources for kids with the most severe behavioral needs.

“It is more likely when we go back we are going to see more children with behavioral challenges, and the adults in the room more easily triggered because of the trauma they’ve experienced,” said Dawn Yuster, director of the School Justice Project at the nonprofit Advocates for Children. “It could be a perfect storm if we don’t have the tools in place.”