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<p>WHEREAS: The 2022 Teen Health Survey documented that “the proportion of high school students who experienced depression (37%), hurt themselves (17%), or considered attempting suicide (20%) reached their highest levels since 2012;” and</p> <p>WHEREAS: The percentages of students experiencing anxiety in the past year was nearly half (48%) of high school students and more than a third (38%) of upper school students, with Genderqueer and female students most impacted; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: Educators and staff also are reporting increased levels of anxiety and depression coming through the pandemic years; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: These local mental health crises are reflected in national trends; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: The Cambridge Youth Council has launched a <a href="https://www.cycheadspace.org/">Youth Headspace Campaign</a> created by young people in order to centralize mental health resources for young people; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: The Cambridge Public Schools continues to identify and refine interventions to support student and staff mental health, including but not limited to increasing the number of social workers in our schools, providing access to virtual therapists, and emphasizing relationship-building through advisories or Falcon Block; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: CPS is fortunate to be a community in which students and staff want to show up for one another, but individuals may not know what mental health distress looks like or how to help; and</p> <p>WHEREAS: In August, all Health and Wellness teachers will take Mental Health First Aid, an evidence-based program that shows individuals how to recognize and respond to signs of mental illness and substance use disorders; now, therefore, be it</p> <p>RESOLVED: That the Superintendent will explore offering Youth Mental Health First Aid to additional educators as well as caregivers and students and will bring a recommendation to the School Committee no later than October 31, 2023.</p>