Austin Public Schools sees upward trend in mental health services utilized by students

(ABC 6 News) – Mental health was a focus Monday evening during a study session at the Austin school board meeting.

A mental health services overview was presented with the goal of Austin Public Schools to provide mental health services to students who otherwise would not receive those services due to barriers.

These services from APS are not designed to replace services available in the community and these services are available to any student that attends school in Mower County.

APS does say that it has seen an increase each year in the requests for mental health services, especially after the pandemic.

The district said in the last couple of days the referral requests for mental health services have increased. But they clarified that none of those referrals were a direct result of the school shooting threats that happened across the state last week, including in Austin.