By Lori EhdeRock County and the school districts of Hills-Beaver Creek and Luverne are working together to help mentally ill children.In a meeting of Rock County representatives and Luverne School Board members, local officials agreed to look into jointly hiring a counselor to deal exclusively with what they see as a worsening condition."I’m here to tell you the need is growing. It’s really becoming a focus for us. It’s a problem," Luverne Superintendent Vince Schaefer said at the start of the Oct. 9 meeting."The goal would be to assist those in need with early intervention, and the end goal would be prevention."The person would ideally be a licensed mental health social worker specializing in child mental health. The person would be shared by the two districts and Rock County Family Services, and he or she would deal specifically with issues more serious than current school counselors typically deal with.Funding sources are being explored, but the person’s salary would likely be paid from the two districts’ special education reiumbursements and from grants.Schools have typically not been involved in children’s mental health issues, but Schaefer said mental illness is affecting not only the struggling student, but the teachers and classrooms as well. "If you aren’t healthy — mentally or physically — school isn’t going to work for you," Schaefer said."We have a number of kids who are unable to function within the walls of school and within society for that matter."He said some high school students in particular are requiring significant attention, and had those same students been helped earlier on, their problems likely wouldn’t have been so severe.Neither school district can afford to hire right now, but Schaefer said it’s reached the point where paying an extra salary to help with prevention will pay off in the end."We’re not equipped to deal with mental health in public schools," Schaefer said. "Our umbrella is pretty wide, but it’s only as wide as we can afford. … I’d say it’s to a point where we can’t afford not to."The county and school agreed that collaborating on the hiring is one way to make the position affordable.H-BC School Board members met with county officials Monday night and they also supported the idea of a shared child mental health specialist.Randy Ehlers, director of Rock County Family Services presented information at meetings with both districts.He explained that the schools currently have an arrangement with the county for mental health services, but he agreed that it’s time for a change."This isn’t to imply that the current system isn’t working," he said. "This is seen as kind of a next step."The Rock County Commissioners will hear more about the position at their next meeting. If all parties formally agree to go forward, the next step would be to set up the funding arrangement and seek funding sources.
