Dear IUSD…

Dear IUSD,

Over the past decade, rates of mental illness and instability have skyrocketed to unprecedented heights—especially in teens. Suicide.org reports that about 20% of all teens will experience depression before adulthood, only 30% of which are being treated for it. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among people aged 15-24. The number of children and teens hospitalized for suicidal thoughts doubled between 2008-15. The rate at which mental health issues are rising among high school students is alarming. 

These all-too-high percentages prompted students all across IUSD to come together and form the Crossroads Initiative, an organization seeking to improve mental health and access to help for such issues. Divided into specific sections motivated by different goals, our team strives to raise awareness and help troubled students be heard. Our writing, photography and graphics teams work together to create a magazine aimed at amplifying voices and sharing stories. The marketing team manages the social media and publicizes the magazine to increase outreach. We, the policy reform team, come to you asking for systematic change, starting with Irvine High School. 

Policy Reform aims to target certain policies and practices within IUSD that could be reversed or improved in order to provide better psychological help to students and foster an accepting environment. We actively deliberate redirections in funding that could benefit mental health help, activities that could be implemented to encourage mentally healthy practices, and resources that could be provided to ensure long-term mental benefits instead of short-term relief. We hope to gain your support in implementing these changes to IUSD’s mental health response tactics. 

As the upcoming school year approaches, new issues surrounding online learning have been brought to the forefront. One of these issues is wellness and making sure students are mentally healthy as our generation navigates difficult times. As the Crossroads Initiative Policy Reform Team, one solution we are focusing on is funding.

IUSD is one of the lowest funded school districts in California. As a result, mental health funding is inadequate. From the 2019-2020 Adopted Budget, IUSD high schools get on average $12.9 million as an unrestricted budget. Out of this, $548,814 goes to mental health initiatives. As only 4.3% of the unrestricted budget, it is clear that mental health is underfunded and overlooked by the district. With an increased flow of budgeting towards mental health initiatives, we can hire more trained mental health professionals, have better work hours for specialists, and create a healthier environment for students. We recognize that funding must be adequately and fairly divided, and must accommodate salaries, lunch programs and other important elements. We also see that getting adequate funding for mental services goes beyond Irvine’s jurisdiction, but having any help from administration will help change. With your help, Crossroads is able to create genuine change in the district and strive to help students. We wish to hear from you soon.