The requirement has school districts worried about more than just stigma. “The process we’re trying to develop and everything we’re trying to do is just with an eye toward reducing stigma, increasing awareness and getting students access to more care,” Cowley said. “I can certainly understand parents having a reaction when they see those questions, sort of, asked back to back, said Michael Cowley, manager of psychological services for Pinellas County Schools.īut in order to help students, Cowley said, school officials must first determine who needs mental health services. The mental health question was grouped with requirements to report arrests or expulsions. Some say the way the law was written doesn’t help. School counselors say they understand the stigma surrounding mental illness. Others say they will provide access to teachers and front-office staff as well. Some districts will share the information only with psychologists and administrators. School districts say counselors will use the information to help Florida students get the services they need. There is stigma around mental illness and getting treatment for it.” “But that’s not the world we live in right now. “In a perfect world, getting treatment for mental health challenges would be no different than getting medical treatment for a skin rash or a bad cold or a broken leg,” LaPolt said. Parents express concern that the information could fall into the wrong hands and may follow children throughout their education, said Alisa LaPolt, executive director of the Florida chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. It was one sentence in a 105-page school safety bill that contained such controversial measures as increasing the minimum age to buy a gun and arming school employees. The question was largely overlooked until parents started filling out school registration forms this summer.

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