Columbia Valley Pioneer staff
Rocky Mountain School District No. 6 is keeping a close eye on the mental health of its students after a 2023 survey prompted concerns.
The board recently reviewed the topic brought up by acting superintendent Steve Wyer based on a report by director of instruction Sharon Collin. The report focused on the BC Adolescent Health Survey that local students participated in last year.
The survey shows 75 per cent of students rated their overall health as good, compared to 81 per cent in 2018. As for mental health, only 62 per cent rated it as good or excellent, compared to 76 per cent five years ago.
In 2018, 27 per cent had smoked tobacco, compared to 22 per cent in 2023. Thirty three per cent had used cannabis (no change last year), while 36 per cent said they had vaped; there was no vaping statistic in the 2018 survey.
Wyer told the Pioneer the school district is looking at programming that it plans to use to reduce the concerning levels of vape usage among students.
Collin said the district, in partnership with Interior Health, will be introducing the ‘Preventure’ program to Grade 8 students attending DTSS.
“The Preventure program is a personality-focused, strengths-based prevention program for youth that offers students decision making tools through voluntary participation in tailored workshops,” she said, noting it has been demonstrated to help reduce the use of alcohol and drugs, and delay the onset of first consumption of substances.
Five years ago 56 per cent of students said they slept for at least eight hours, compared to 48 per cent in 2023. In 2018 a total of 16 per cent said they did not eat breakfast on school days, compared to nearly 30 per cent in 2023.
In 2018, 25 per cent had skipped school in the past month, compared to 33 per cent last year. And five years go nearly 80 per cent said they planned to attend post-secondary school, compared to 69 per cent in 2023.
Collin said the decline in student mental health has been replicated over the last couple of years in other surveys. To address this, the school district introduced its Mental Health in Schools strategy last fall with the goal of improving social/emotional learning and mental health literacy among students.
Collin noted the district wants to positively impact the 17 per cent of students who did not access mental health services they needed because they didn’t know where to go. “They were concerned about their confidentiality or were afraid of the stigma of seeking and accepting help.”
She pointed out there is a commitment to realign school counselling services to academic supports for students, guiding them to intervention services in the community. She further suggested the district would be well served to evaluate high school planning and post-secondary transition as a priority in future operations.
When asked about supports in the community, 84 per cent of students in the survey were able to identify one caring adult, Collin noted.
In the survey, students identified sexual health as a topic they wanted to learn more about. In fact, one 12 year old said they had a lot of questions but are “too embarrassed to ask.”
