ROCHESTER, Minn. (KTTC) – In accordance with a new Minnesota mandate, Rochester Public Schools (RPS) is incorporating additional instruction and support for mental health into the school curriculum and environment.
The statute states that mental health instruction and support in public and charter schools for grades 4-12 is now required. This is a change from the original language that said this instruction was “encouraged.”
The Minnesota Department of Education (MDE) and the Minnesota chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) partnered on a guidance document to help direct schools on incorporating mental health standards into existing curriculum and the school environment.
Sarah Clarke, the Coordinator of Mental Health for RPS, says that the district has already been providing mental health education to students so the current program will not change significantly.
She clarifies that RPS has incorporated units on mental health awareness and coping skills into the health curriculum. There is also class discussion of the topic in academic content, such as when it appears in a class book.
“The conversation around helping students with their mental health, preventing mental illness, creating environments that foster wellness and well-being, have become a lot more overt,” Clarke says, “and a lot more supportive of students across the spectrum of illness and wellness.”
Clarke also attributes the change to increased access to support in schools through counselors and social workers.
The MDE is currently in the process of revising its mental health standards.
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