Federal funding can help Merced Union deal with critical problem: student mental health
The American Rescue Plan is bringing $26 billion to California. For Merced, that means $28 million to the city and $35 million to Merced Union High School District, but where is all this money going?
We must reinvest to truly rebuild, especially at our schools. This month, the MUHSD board has an opportunity to write a new chapter by funding our futures and using ARP funds to invest $10 million to support academic success, mental health and wellness of all MUHSD students by hiring more school counselors and creating student wellness centers.
As a junior at El Capitan High School in north Merced, I’ve seen a lot of my friends and other students go through similar mental health struggles to mine. During my freshman year, I was experiencing anxiety concerning my identity and my family’s reaction to it. I was in need of counseling, but my parents were unwilling to send me to someone who could help. So I ended up scheduling an appointment with my school’s only counselor, which was a difficult and downright tedious process. We were only able to meet once a month, and if she was booked, once every two months. She was only able to share some basic practices like breathing exercises, using stress balls, and the benefits of meditation.
Students need more help than this, but she isn’t able to provide it, likely because of how busy she is as the only school counselor. If this is the case at El Capitan, one of the newest schools in the district located on the wealthier north side of the city, it must be much worse at other schools in the east and south side of Merced.
In a recent survey taken by 288 MUHSD students, 60% said that mental health issues were the biggest issue they were dealing with, but only 20% of them said their schools offer mental health services. When they were asked what changes they wished to see in their schools, 55% said they’d like to see an increase in mental health resources.
In addition to more counselors, students need wellness centers. I imagine one with comfortable chairs, stuffed animals, and filled with books. El Capitan has made attempts at creating a student wellness center before — Room F210, but sadly, it also doubles as a detention room. Students are used to hearing the phrase, “If you don’t behave, I’ll send you to F210.” I hadn’t learned it was anything more than detention until the end of my sophomore year. If the room is meant to be there for students to relax, we should be told that our freshman year, not trained to fear being sent there, or think being sent there is a punishment. Or better yet, have an entirely separate space dedicated solely to student wellness that actually feels like a calm and healing environment.
Just a week ago, there were three fights on my campus in one day. The students fighting were grabbed and pulled apart. I imagine if we had a dedicated wellness center, it could be a place for students to clear their head, instead of taking their stress and aggression out on each other.
If the money from the American Rescue Plan is going to be used anywhere, the MUHSD board should listen to what students want it to be used for and fund mental health services, such as hiring more counselors and creating wellness centers. Now more than ever, we need to fund our futures and reinvest in our schools to ensure student success. I ask the MUHSD board: please do not ignore the role of young people in our collective future. We must prioritize our needs and futures as we weather this crisis and begin to rebuild and recover.
This Wednesday, June 16th, the MUHSD board will hold a meeting on the school budget and decide how the funds will be allocated. I’ll be there with other MUHSD students who have been asking for additional mental health resources for too long. We will mobilize students and community members to turn out and make our demands loud and clear that we must fund our futures now.