Seattle schools to invest $14.5M in mental health, student safety

Seattle Public Schools to invest $14.5M in mental health, student safety

As the new school year approaches, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is set to implement a plan for student safety and mental health support, though with nearly half the budget promised.

SEATTLE - As the new school year approaches, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is set to implement a plan for student safety and mental health support, though with nearly half the budget promised.

The district is investing $14.5 million in response to recent violence and increased safety concerns, including the tragic loss of a student at Garfield High School last June.

Mayor Bruce Harrell and SPS Superintendent Dr. Brent Jones revealed their plan for the upcoming academic year, emphasizing a multi-faceted approach to creating a safer school environment. This initiative follows the City Council’s approval of a $12 million budget — down from the previously allocated $20 million.

Investment breakdown: $5.6 million will fund the hiring of 42 new positions in mental health. An additional $2.4 million is earmarked for telehealth therapy services, aiming to support over 2,000 students.
Violence prevention: $4.25 million will go toward violence prevention staff within schools.
Family resource fund: This fund will aid at-risk families with essentials such as clothing, food, utilities, and transportation.

Superintendent Jones stressed the importance of building strong relationships between students and school staff, "Because relationships matter throughout the school day, students will interact more with adults focused explicitly on their safety."

In a recent announcement, Harrell highlighted the city’s efforts to reduce gun violence, noting that nearly 960 guns have been seized this year, compared to 1,533 last year. The new strategies aim to address violence both inside and outside school grounds.

The plan also includes increased collaboration with community organizations and "violence interrupters" who are already familiar to students. They are trusted adults that students may have already seen before from within community organizations.

But as of now, they won’t be actual Seattle police officers.

We reported back in June that Interim Chief Sue Rahr was pushing to bring school resource officers back to campus.

However, today there was no mention of resuming the SRO partnership.

"We are not using the police department to say we're coming in with guns blazed," said Rahr. "That is the worst possible way to make the school environment safe."

"The work is not done," said Ricole Jones, a youth mentor.

Despite these efforts, some parents express cautious optimism. Jennifer Marquardt, a Garfield High School parent, voiced concerns about the effectiveness of the new measures.

"A lot of the feedback from students was that it didn’t feel good; it felt performative and reactionary," Marquardt said.

Ray Proctor Mills Jr., an incoming senior at Rainier Beach High School and the cousin of Amarr Murphy Paine, a gun violence victim, noted the importance of additional support. "We need more programs, more funding to get the programs that we need," Proctor Mills Jr said. He welcomed the new initiatives but stressed the need for sustained support.

In an email, Jones highlighted the efforts are focusing on changes in school infrastructure and staffing, violence prevention partnerships, and mental health support.

Increased security staffing: The number of security specialists in schools will be doubled, and an executive director of student and community safety will be appointed.
Public safety collaboration: The SPS Safety and Security team will strengthen its partnership with the Seattle Police Department (SPD) to enhance student safety, including increased police presence around school perimeters during peak times. It includes maintaining regular communication on safety-related matters, working together to protect students, staff, and community from violence around our schools, and conducting building and campus walk-throughs to ensure emergency preparedness. We anticipate an increased police presence around school perimeters during key times -- before school, during lunch, and after school.

The 2024-25 budget includes extra funding for school social workers. It will raise the total to more than 50, up from 30 in 2022-23. This will provide more students with essential mental health and social-emotional support.

Dr. Jones emphasized that the district’s approach is evolving and that feedback from the community and students will be crucial in refining the plan. "Students can’t learn if they don’t feel safe," he said.

SPS says they're "dedicating an additional $2.3 million of the district's 2024-25 budget to increased staffing in the SPS Safety and Security team. We are grateful for the city's partnership. Mayor Bruce Harrell is matching this with additional funds for violence prevention. This will strengthen our work with community-based violence programs and expand access to behavioral health support through on-site services and telehealth for students."

Despite the introduction of new resources, Marquardt questioned their effectiveness. She noted the challenges with telehealth services, saying, "There aren’t enough mental health care professionals to actually get the one-on-one in-person care that these kids need. Telehealth is great, but especially this group of kids has dealt with so much. They’re sick and tired of telehealth. They want in-person therapy."

Marquardt expressed cautious optimism about the district’s new initiatives but remained skeptical about their implementation. "It’s really easy to come up here and talk about the things, the words that you need to hear to feel okay and better," she said. "What’s the rollout going to look like?"

Deputy Mayor of City of Seattle, Tiffany Washington, responded to inquires about how this plan will be different from what students and parents have seen saying, "What will be different is you'll see more of the community that you see around here, surrounding the schools. It's not new, it's just been underfunded."

Everyone involved from the city, school officials, and community organizations say the work isn’t done. Both the plan and funding are evolving, and they want to hear from students and understand what they need.