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Rock Hill School District creates mental health department

Top health experts say kids, their parents and teachers will be dealing with new anxieties and challenges.

ROCK HILL, S.C. — The past year and a half has been hard on our children and their teachers. 

Even before the pandemic, schools have been reporting a rise in the number of students in need of mental health services.

This has led the Rock Hill School District to create a brand new department, solely focused on getting students, teachers and the greater community those resources.

In just a few weeks, kids will be back in the classroom, some for the first time in 17 months.

"We had over 6,000 in rock hill schools in our virtual academy last year which was great and now 5,000 are coming back," Nancy Turner, the mental health director for Rock Hill Schools, said. 

RELATED: As kids sleep in ED hallways and on floors, North Carolina General Assembly 'not doing enough' to address strained mental health system

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Top health experts say kids, their parents and teachers will be dealing with new anxieties and challenges.

"There are going to be kids showing up who have lost grandparents and parents. They're going to be kids showing up who have no or very limited resources for learning at home," Harris Cooper, PH.D. with Duke University said.

Students at Rock Hill Schools will be met with extra care and support, this service is years in the making.

"I would not say that this is something that just happened," Turner said. "But what I would say is that the rise of mental illness has become greater for a variety of reasons."

RELATED: Pandemic leaves heavy toll on children's mental health

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During the pandemic, the district created a hotline for community members to call in crisis, and a parent academy.

They also hosted weekly Facebook Live videos where different experts help parents through common issues. And they're working social-emotional curriculum into the normal school day, giving teachers the training they need to better serve students.

"Time during the day, and not to say oh if they need it. Everyone needs it," Turner said. "It's a given that everyone will need social-emotional support. Everyone will need mental health support of some kind."

They're also introducing different wellness activities for teachers and students
including jazzercise and yoga.

Contact Chloe Leshner at cleshner@wcnc.com and follow her on FacebookTwitter and Instagram.   

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