Mitigating the mental and emotional impact of active shooter drills

Drafted in response to a request from Congress to explore the psychological impact of active school shooter drills on students and staff, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine published its consensus study report, School Active Shooter Drills: Mitigating Risks to Mental, Emotional, and Behavioral Health, in 2025.

Study findings shine light on the value of mental health services on school campuses

For the three in 10 California children ages 12-17 who report symptoms that meet the criteria for serious psychological distress, the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and the California Community Schools Partnership Program are crucial lifelines. The two programs invest a combined $8 billion in the mental health of children and teens, including school-based services.

Inyo COE receives federal grant to expand distance learning

A federal grant will help rural Inyo County students upgrade classrooms to elevate student learning. The $700,000 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant from the United States Department of Agriculture will support Inyo COE in advancing educational access and equity in local rural and frontier communities by funding the initiative, Inyo LinkEd: Empowering Rural Education Opportunities. 

New brief details best practices around supporting student mental health, and what practices to avoid

About 40 percent of high schoolers now report persistent sadness or hopelessness, which is why nearly all public schools currently provide some form of mental health support. However, despite the desire of local educational agencies to provide students the resources they need, many leaders report that limited staffing, unclear roles and crisis-driven demands make it difficult to deliver timely, effective care to every student who needs it.

Risk assessment finds AI chatbots aren’t good for addressing teens’ mental health

Common Sense Media’s recent risk assessment of the use of artificial intelligence (AI) chatbots for supporting teens’ mental health concluded that overall, the tools pose an “unacceptable” risk as the likelihood of a harmful event occurring is too likely and the consequence of any harm caused is too high.

Help is available: Expanding awareness of support services during Suicide Prevention Month 

September is Suicide Prevention Month — a time to raise awareness about this urgently important crisis. Currently, suicide is the second leading cause of death among people ages 10-14, the third leading cause of death among those ages 15-24 and the 12th leading cause of […]