Publisher's summary
We audited the following 20 school districts (Districts) to determine whether the Districts used resources to provide the mental health component of the New York Safe Schools Against Violence in Education Act (SAVE Act) training requirement to staff: Bellville-Henderson CSD, Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake CSD, Canandaigua City SD, Coxsackie Athens CSD, Crown Point CSD, Dover UFSD, Eden CSD, Goshen CSD, Greenport UFSD, Harborfields CSD, Livonia CSD, Malone CSD, Port Washington UFSD, Rye Neck UFSD, Schalmont CSD, Seaford UFSD, Unadilla Valley CSD, Waverly CSD, Wellsville CSD and West Genesee CSD. The 20 Districts we examined did not provide mental health training to all staff for the 2020-21 school year by September 15, 2020, as required by New York State Education Department (SED) regulations.
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not have any training specific to mental health, however; the District is currently
working with its Board of Cooperative Educational Services to implement mental
health training for staff.
It is imperative, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, that staff be provided
training on warning signs that may be an early indicator of mental health issues
and concerns. Training staff can assist in identifying mental health issues in
students early on to get help when needed and potentially avoid having to react to
crisis situations or emergencies.
What Do We Recommend?
District officials must:
1. Provide mental health training to all staff and ensure it is completed by
September 15, as required. Such training should address recognition of
the warning signs, whom to turn to for assistance, and how to access
appropriate services.
4 Of f ic e of t he New York State Comptroller