Teachers to the rescue!

Give them top mental health role: pols

ALBANY — Two state lawmakers from New York City are looking to make teachers the “first line of defense” in combatting mental health problems among students.

Assemblyman Marcos Crespo and Sen. Jesse Hamilton plan to unveil legislation Monday that will require teachers to be instructed in “mental health first aid” to better spot students with problems and help them get treatment.

“We think this is a way to enhance our outreach and our ability to identify youth that may need mental health services,” Crespo (D-Bronx) told the Daily News. “What better way than to have that first line of defense in our schools?”

Crespo and Hamilton (DBrooklyn) cited studies showing that up to 20% of students suf- fer from some sort of mental health disorder, including anxiety and depression. Teachers, they added, often spend more time with students than their parents and are in a key position to spot such disorders.

“We look at it as sort of preventative tool,” said Glenn Liebman, chief executive officer of the Mental Health Association in New York State, which has endorsed the legislation. “There is no expectation that (teachers) are going to be clinicians. The expectation will be that they will recognize that a child is in a mental health crisis and they can refer them to appropriate services.”

Under the legislation, mental health first aid would be included among continuing education courses required every five years for teachers.

The powerful New York State United Teachers union has not taken a formal position on the bill yet, said spokesman Carl Korn.

“We are in the process of discussing its implications with teachers in the field, including school psychologists, social workers and guidance counselors who, along with school nurses, actually deal with mental health issues on a long-term basis with students,” Korn said.

What better way than to have that first line of defense in our schools? — assemblyman Marcos Crespo