Under the existing policy in Article 17 of the Sacramento City Unified School District, the ratio of students to counselor stands at 375:1. This number is far removed from the recommended best practice ratio of 250:1 by the American School Counsellor Association. Considering the increasing mental health complexities among students, we propose lowering this load to a 250:1 ratio for better attentiveness and personalized care for our students.

Our proposal also includes mandatory check-ins with counselors, extended office hours, and a digital platform for students to reach out when in need. Waiting for crisis situations as indicators for intervention isn't efficient. Regular check-ins will ensure early diagnosis, aiding prevention of mental health illnesses which currently affect 1 in 6 U.S. children aged 6-17 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention). 

Dropout rates are increasing, College enrollment rates are decreasing. A huge factor of that is due to mental health problems. Public 2-year college enrollments have dropped by 38%, and 15.1% for public 4-year colleges between 2010-2021 (College Transitions). The Suicide Prevention Resource Center states that 4.29 million students would have graduated college if they weren't experiencing mental health issues. 

 According to the CDC, 39.7% of students experienced persistent feelings of sadness and hopelessness, 28.5% experienced poor mental health, 20.4% seriously considered attempting suicide, and 9.5% have attempted suicide. 

We need to start improving the resources we give to our students. Not all children have access to help outside of school counselors, that's why it's so important that we, as a community, do everything we can to help them.

Extend your support to better our students' mental health - sign this petition. Help us cultivate a caring and vigilant community in Sacramento City Unified School District.