The Washoe County School District says it’s always motivated to continue finding ways to provide faculty with resources to help students.
The Safe and Healthy Schools Commission met Monday to talk about possibly adding another training lesson for coaches.
This training is part of "Project Stay," which works to give coaches the tools needed to recognize signs of mental health issues to help reduce suicide attempts in teenagers.
Organizers tell us educators are typically the ones who receive this level of training, but say coaches can be another resource for students to lean on.
Emma White, the Founder and CEO of Project Stay, said, "At the state level, there isn't a law that requires that. It is educators. Educators have to get trained in those programs, but we obviously know that students who are engaging in any sort of activity also need trusted adults in that space, so we're talking about what we can do with Washoe County School District to have those folks get trained as well."
This is a free two-hour training that provides coaches with strategies to help engage with students who may be experiencing emotional distress.
White also said, "Has their behavior changed? Are the words that they're saying changing? Maybe something's happening at home that they haven't told anybody yet. Maybe there are other factors, like are they not getting enough sleep or are they not getting enough food, so we want to make sure that all of those, you know, pieces of life are being addressed."
They mention how social media is a big topic they focus on because of how overwhelmingly it impacts students’ mental health.
"We know that's really stressful, and a lot of students are, you know, struggling in the digital space, so they also learn what to look for in that space, and then we really encourage them just to check in on the students, ask them if they're okay, ask them what's been going on in their life," said White.
Coaches are asked to do a survey before and after the training to help track where their baseline knowledge started to compare how much it has grown at the end.
They say this training goes beyond just the students; they suddenly can see signs in everyone involved in their lives.
White said, "Not just for coaches helping youth, but also people that are just family members. You know, everybody either has kids or family members they care about or colleagues that they care about, so this information isn't just for in that sports world or that activity world. It's also something you can take home and just use to care for your loved ones."
Project Stay also works with the 988 hotline that provides help 24/7.
They encourage people to call or text 9-8-8 if you or someone else needs help dealing with a crisis.
This meeting was for discussion on the topic only, and it'll be presented to the school board at a later time for them to decide if it'll become a requirement for coaches in the future.
