OSDE Creates New Division To Help Students With Mental Health

State lawmakers and education leaders are developing new ways to keep Oklahoma students safe and healthy.

They have now dedicated a division of the State Department of Education to providing support for students.

This is important because, according to the CDC, suicide is the 8th leading cause of death in Oklahoma.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister says this is the first time the State Department of Education has created a division specifically to help students with mental health.

"We know with the rise of bullying, and we know social media has a large part to play in that based on research we knew, that it was something that we wanted to partner with," said Hofmeister.

Safety and mental health support are vital for a child to learn and stay focused.

"We have to understand that we are supporting the whole child. And the State Department of Education is working to be a resource for parents for family members, who have a complaint, who don't feel like bullying is being addressed adequately at the school level," said Hofmeister.

A lot of money is going into this program.

Between the schools and the state department, $70 million over the next three years is going toward programs to support students.

"To provide school counselors inside school buildings for students and our student advisory, council says they have already noticed that increased support and help, " said Hofmeister.

This started with one employee who saw a need, and now the division is a team of 30 that have worked to support students in more than 3,000 bullying cases across the state in just the past year.

State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister says that safety and mental health support are vital for a child to learn and stay focused.

If your child needs any support, you can learn more about this division by clicking here.

For annual statistics on school incident reporting including bullying cases and suicide numbers, click here.