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HB NEWS ‘AVALANCHE OF RESPONSE OF STUDENTS IN NEED’ PUBLIC BOARD DISCUSSES MENTAL HEALTH CONCERNS KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com Halton _ District School Board's (HDSB) Di- rector of Education has "It's been an avalanche of response. of students in need," HDSB Director of Education Souris Ennis s said. Provincial funding to support the mental health and well-l ‘being of students, jowever, is "not enough." Half ofthe most recently allocated OVID: 19 fund- ing target mental health and “well-being has (approxi- mately $250,000); the board is awaiting confirmation id timing of the second BS 3 At its Nov. 3 board meet- ing, trustees were given an overview of current board mental health Shatocics for students and staff, as well as the results of an eight-week summer "pop- up" mental health initia- tive. The latter program drew 1,000 referrals, sup- ported over 500 students in therapy groups and 100 stu- dents for individual mental health support, said Super- of Education Dean Barnes health support, or gullet in the temporary hiring ot 15 Child Youth Couns (CYCs) and 16 social cok Coming into the new school year, common men- tal health concerns for HDSB students included feelings of sadness, anxi- = Oil & Filter (includes up to 6 litres regular oil.) - Complete top to bottom check over. - Installation of winter tires (already on rims) included. NAPA S Ui Ke) ste) ety, loneliness and stress, said Barnes. Funding has allowed for the CY0s and fo additional ocial workers for this sehool year. Staff have similarly been impacted and chal- lenged ie pandemic, said Superintendent of Hu- man Resources Sari Taha. Mental health sick leave and disability claims are on the rise, he sai Mental health research indicates that there has been a drastic increase in inxiety, burnout and sub- a school board," added Ta- ha. HDSB has also under- taken a long-term strategy through a_ partnership with School Board Co-op- erative Incorporated (SBCI) to undergo an orga- nizational mental health and well-being audit to as- sess th theneeds of staff, raise ness of mental health i issues, reduce s\ ma, and implement strate- gies. The board is also looking at creating corn feute first aiders schools to act as contacts for those experiencing mental health concerns. ville trustee Joanna liver expressed her thanks to the board's me! tal health staff for being able to use COVID-19 men- tal health funding quickly to put together "an something that's quite out. side of the box I think in be- ible to deliver mental health supports to our stu- ents.” “The numbers are stag- gering and that's probably just the tip of the iceberg in the referrals that were made. We know that there's HASSELL AUTOMOTIVE pecially EXTRAS - $5.00 Tim's Card - Windshield Washer Fluid - 12 Pack of Pop oe READERS’ CHOICE 2021 probably many, many more students who are in need." NON-COMPLIANT EMPLOYEES Currently there are four permanent HDSB employ- ees on unpaid leave for noncompliance of testing protocols for unvaccinated personnel. There are 391 staff co: firmed as unvaccinated and 669 with an undis- closed status, all of wl are required to undergo rapid antigen testing three times a week, a recent in- crease from the initial twice weekly provincial mandate. Testing kits are paid for federal funds; however, the board. has chosen to reason), as there is acost to a a Fy 3 a v Fd Board chair Andrea Grebenc recommended the board consider having non- vaccinated staff pay for all, or part, of the courier costs. "We should not be incur- z ring the cost of enabling 4 ES ople to continue to= choose to be unvaccinated g as that is not what's in the $ best interest of society go- § fc d because we = this pan- B said Gre-8 will be stuck in demic forever,” bene. RENAMING SCHOOLS A member of the pub- lic's request to the Director of Education to rename Craig Kielburger Second- ary School in Milton did not meet the criteria under the b couriers to deliver the kits toemployee homes in an ef- fort fo: maintain in privacy. trustee Amy collard suggested unvacci- nated staff start paying for their own tests (unless they have a legitimate medical veut Schools oi said Grel The incident, however, did lead Grebenc to pro- pose the revival of a past board discussion to review all HDSB school names in the near future. NOW OW! monty Call for an *Most Vehicles. Appointment Prices are +HST $9995" Synthetic/oil (up)to)6)litres) ee HASSELL AUTOMOTIVE SALES & SERVICE