California Adds a Mental Health Curriculum Requirement in K-12
On Jan. 1, a new law took effect, mandating that the California Department of Education include mental health in state standards by Jan. 1, 2023. Districts must begin teaching the new curriculum by Jan. 1, 2024.
The law requires that middle and high school students learn the signs and symptoms of conditions such as depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder. Read more »
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This past fall, students and staff at close to 200 public schools in Wake County, N.C., which includes Raleigh, received an unexpected break. Schools were closed on November 12 for a day of reflection and preparation.” That same day, schools in Cumberland County, N.C., about 60 miles south, had the day off for “Wellness Friday.” 
Parenting expert, author and educator, Julie Lythcott-Haims is well-known for her words of wisdom and encouragement. In this Voices of Compassion podcast episode — for the first time — we are invited to listen in on a heart-to-heart conversation between Julie and her 22-year-old son Sawyer about his journey with ADHD and their family’s road to acceptance. 
February 1 marks the start of Black History Month, bringing opportunities for critical reflection and honest conversation with our students about our history and futures. The 2022 Black History Month theme is “
Early in his first quarter at the University of California-Davis, Ryan Manriquez realized he needed help. A combination of pressures — avoiding covid-19, enduring a breakup, dealing with a disability, trying to keep up with a tough slate of classes — hit him hard. 
Helicopter, bulldozer, snowplow, tugboat, Velcro, tiger, and now drone—these are all the deprecatory labels that we use to describe today’s overinvolved, and sometimes aggressive, parents. Throughout two decades as a school counselor, I have witnessed these child-rearing styles and many others. I am not a fan of such pejorative terms, as the reality is, parents love their children. It is this love, and the hopes and fears it ignites, that drive parents’ actions. 
Real American 
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Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and anxiety disorders frequently occur together. These conditions can simply exist simultaneously, or ADHD may contribute to the development of the anxiety disorder. 
