How North Carolina is Failing Its Youth and Their Health

In honor of May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I want to illuminate how North Carolina is fundamentally neglecting the wellbeing of its youth population. Before diving deeper, it is important to note that health is not a collection of isolated symptoms; it embodies physical health, mental health, and the undeniable, biological connection between them.

The data tells us that our children are in extreme distress. According to recent metrics from the NC Child Health Report Card (NC Child Health Report Card) and the NC Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), the numbers are nothing short of alarming:

• 39.1% of high school students surveyed reported persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness.

• 19.1% of adolescents ages 12–17 have experienced a major depressive episode.

• 9.5% of high school students attempted suicide in the past year.

• Suicide is now the leading cause of death for NC children ages 10–14.

• 21.4% of high school students currently use electronic vapor products (e-vapes).

• 30.7% of children ages 6–17 are overweight or obese.

There are seemingly infinite data points to label as alarming, but I have chosen these to represent the current youth health crisis in NC.

My last post spoke on the new cell phone bans in NC schools. The reason I mention this is because screen time—specifically time spent on social media—is proven to negatively impact mental health. Furthermore, the addictive nature of social media is widely viewed as a driving force behind this youth health crisis, both nationwide and right here in North Carolina.

The fact that our children are facing this level of distress is an extremely delicate, urgent problem. However, an entirely separate crisis lies in the fact that North Carolina has failed to provide the proper support systems for students' wellbeing. When we neglect a struggling population, it introduces a dangerous new dimension of problems straight into our education system.

The Teachers' Dilemma

Recently, there have been major efforts to raise teacher pay and increase overall education funding, specifically after fierce pushback from educators and the broader community. Part of this pushback is due to the sheer weight of the modern teachers' workload.

When students are drowning and there is no safety net, the job of the educator becomes infinitely harder and more complex. Consider these shocking staffing ratios from across our state:

• School Psychologists: NC has 1 school psychologist for every 1,928 students. (The national safety recommendation is 1 per 500).

• School Social Workers: NC has 1 social worker for every 995 students. (The national safety recommendation is 1 per 250).

Neglecting the needs of students does not actually make those needs disappear. Because our state’s mental health support ratios are embarrassingly low, classroom teachers are routinely forced to serve as social workers and unlicensed trauma counselors. When an educator spends their morning managing behavior and emotional crises, they are left struggling to find the time or energy to engage students in actual, meaningful learning.

It is no wonder teachers are walking away. According to the state's official State of the Teaching Profession Report, early-career educators are fleeing the classroom: between 14% and 18% of teachers in their first five years exit the profession. Additionally, out of every five candidates who enter a teacher preparation program in North Carolina, only two remain long enough to be considered long-term educators (News From the States). 

I am incredibly glad that lawmakers are finally realizing teachers need to be paid more. But if we want to truly combat the youth health crisis, a slightly higher paycheck isn't enough. We need more school psychologists, and more social workers. Until Raleigh prioritizes the mental infrastructure of our schools, we will continue to fail and neglect the youth of North Carolina.