LEXINGTON, S.C. — There's a new tool helping counselors and staff members at Lexington County School District One better serve the mental health needs of its students and families.
The district is partnering with a group that connects families to agencies with available counseling sessions within an 11 day period instead of having the counselors do all the legwork with a backlog of waiting times for appointments.
"They have live speakers that speak to the parent in multiple languages, they help the parent look at their insurance, what they want from agencies and then they help that parent find an agency in the local area that they want to go to, and they'll actually call and set up an appointment," said Zantracy Pender, director of school counseling for Lexington One.
Within three weeks of this new partnership, the district has seen 21 appointments and 65 families showing interest in getting extra resources.
"This year, I've seen more parent deaths than I've ever seen. Parent, grandparents, family structures are being impacted, so there's an increased need," Pender said. "When your physical and mental health are at their peak as a student, you do your best."
With mental well-being top of priority, district leaders said they hope their students have more room for success in the classroom.