Mental Health a Focus at School Safety Conference

Indiana Superintendent of Public Instruction Jennifer McCormick says mental health is an increasing part of the school safety conversation.

Thousands of school leaders and safety specialists gathered in downtown Indianapolis Monday for the School Safety Academy, the largest of such conferences to date.

McCormick referenced the creation of a Social-Emotional and Behavior Wellness assistant director. The position in the Indiana Department of Education works across agencies at the state and local levels to encourage conversations about mental health in schools.

“It’s tricky because your system of care in Randolph County looks different than in Lake County than here in Marion County,” McCormick says. “The celebration is we are watching it, we have people owning that work and there’s an eagerness across agencies to get it right.”

The conference comes in wake of the May shooting at Noblesville West Middle School, which both Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.) and McCormick referenced during the press conference.