Advocating for Mental Health in Schools  

NASSP’s 2023 Advocacy Campaign, “Be Well: Centering Mental Health in Schools,” brings together school and student leader voices with federal and government relations partners to increase conversations about the mental health crisis in our schools. By joining with our policy partners, we aim to increase access to resources for and funding of much-needed mental health services.

Ultimately, “Be Well” is an effort to eliminate stigma and directly address stressors that our students, school leaders, and educators are facing, such as depression, drug addiction, mental health issues, thoughts of suicide, social media pressures, and school safety. Through the campaign, NASSP will share local and national best practice models and programs that can be replicated for impact and improvement of services in schools and communities.

NASSP is working with its Leadership Networks, including the Principal Recovery Network (PRN), a national network of current and former school leaders who have experienced gun violence tragedies in their buildings. Together, the PRN seeks to assist principals in the immediate aftermath of a crisis and well beyond. See the group’s “Guide to Recovery” for a collection of best practices to assist school leaders in the aftermath of shooting tragedies.

To make your voice heard on this urgent issue, take action through NASSP’s advocacy action alerts by asking Congress to support policies and funding for mental health services at https://p2a.co/sTV8NNg.

The campaign will also host the following webinars:

  • Wednesday, September 13, 4:00–5:00 p.m. ET.
  • Wednesday, October 18, during National Principals Month and Principal of the Year events. 
  • Additional resources from previous webinars can be found here: nassp.org/advocacy-new/advocacy-resources.

For additional questions, email [email protected].