[inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] [inaudible conversations] thank you all very much for being here, and were going to continue this discussion on the issue of enormous concern for the american people. Senator murphy was going to introduce ms. Russelltucker but, unfortunately, he is detained. Let me begin introducing her, that is ms. Russelltucker was appointed commissioner of the Connecticut Department of education in 2021. Previously she served as chief operating officer division chief of the Departments Office of student supports and organizational effectiveness. Ms. Russelltucker, thanks so much for being with us. Thank you. Good morning, chairman sanders, Ranking Member cassidy, and members of the Senate Committee on Health Education labor and pension. I am charlene russelltucker come commissioner of education and connecticut. I am honored to share critical information regarding the Youth Mental Health crisis and connecticuts response to supporton the needs of students. My big audacious goal is to ensure every Connecticut School has a court need a sustainable system of care to provide comprehensive behavioral Mental Health services to all students and school staff. The Surgeon General murthy mention an associate of connecticut Connecticut High School students confirms our students face unprecedented Mental Health challenges. Too many for students reported having felt sad hopeless, and that the Mental Health was not good, most or all of the time. Most concern is 14 said they are seriously considered suicide, and 6 actually attempted suicide. These data highlight the immense need to address Student Wellness and underscore the action at federal, state and local public or effective solution our team to stakeholders including policymakers, Community Leaders, parents and fans, educators and students. I like to see it cant be about them without them. The commissioners roundtable for family and Community Engagement and education is a diverse constituent group of stakeholders representing school staff, advocates, parents and guardians, Community Leaders and students to advise me on policy and programmatic priorities. Connecticut Student Voice for change Program AllowsHigh School Students to propose projects utilizing state funds. Notably, 80 of student proposals focus on Mental Health. Using divorce to advocate for Mental Health support for their peers. They spoke and we are listening. The pilot establishes a system of kournikova for schools and seven districts. One Pilot School District identified 250 students at risk of suicide and was able to provide critical and Immediate Responses. Our states mobile Crisis Intervention Services delivers a range of Crisis Response and Stabilization Services to youth and families. Simply calling 211, are now 988 now 988, immediate dispatch clinicians to schools or anywhere a childeu is in crisis. The Surgeon General report an epidemic of linnaeus reinforces the g importance of School Attendance and engagement. The program is a researchbased Home Visit Initiative that improves attendance, feelings of belonging, and Family School relationships. Additionally we invested 33 million in funding in a multieuro summer enrichment grant program, prioritizing communities, disproportional impacted by the pandemic. Programs face a strong focus on peer relationships, wellness and academicn acceleration during e summer. In the first year this program connected more than 108,000 students with enrichment opportunities. Department invested 2. 2 million extra funds for innovation grants to support new partners in the underserved communities in designing innovative, highquality afterSchool Programs to address student academic and Mental Health needs. Mental health is a bipartisan, state priority. Including addressing workforce shortages. The governor and are generously directed 100 million fromio all agency Mental Health initiatives, including 28 million for Mental Health professionals in schools. Multistate agencies are working together to expand the ranks of clinicians to meet increased Mental Health needs. Ea additionally when school to six have levied over 183 million of local extra funds for students and staff wellbeing. We are committed to funding and sustaining what works. We also invested funds to establish a groundbreaking collaborative that brings together University Researchers to conduct rigorous evaluations of them in your programs and initiatives thats underway and our state to ensure programs and investments are achieving results. Thank you for modeling bipartisan National Discourse that would lead to enhanced access to needed services and ultimately improved academic access, support and outcomes for young people. Thank you very much and im happy to take your questions. Thank you very much. Were going to jump over dr. Garcia for second and go to doctor joy osofsky who will be introduced by senator cassidy. Its a joy to introduce doctor joy osofsky competitive gothic Mental Health at a wish to medical governmental psychologist a National Leader in her Childhood Development or a learned a lot from dr. Osofsky, shias who taught me you can actually begin thinking of separation disorder fromat day zero and just amazing to me and she was very informative of what chris murphy and i did at least my part of the Mental Health reform bill of 2016. A lot to her. Chess expertise and trauma informed care, help manyan belizean families recover from Hurricane Katrina and applied that expertise during the culminating pandemic. She received numerous awards and recognition for worker dr. Osofsky, thank you for being here. Thank you very much, senator cassidy for the invitation and senator sanders. I very much appreciate being here. One of thehe things i want to sy introducing my testimony is how important the opportunity has been for me. Actually together with my husband who is a psychiatrist, to be able to consult with senator cassidy on Mental Health issues, to identify and support community and state agencies that work individually and collaboratively in supporting the Mental Health needs of children and families, including prostate efforts. We started this in 2016. Wewe have been pleased to suppot his efforts to increase Mental Health support in schools and in communities, and we didnt talk earlier as much aboutan communities and to think we need to integrate that in the conversation have now. It would expand to meet basic behavioral Health Services and ask at the mental Care Services in schools and c communities boh rural and urban areas we know in rural areas its much harder to access Mental Health services in general. The act would provide funding for the National ChildTraumatic Stress network to improve trauma informed training, treatment and services for children, adolescentss and families who have experienced trauma. I have been fortunate to work with the National Traumatic network being funded since 2003 to develop Mental Health collaboration with schools and communities. Our latest effort, and to think one that isch really very much reflective of the direction of the National ChildTraumatic Stress network is going, has been to not just work in one community but develop regional coalitions so we spread the word that we do, the effort each of us make in working with the children who have been traumatized iniz different ways, and experienced trauma to be able to share that knowledge with other communities. So, for example, and it actually happened to be quite fortunate during the covid pandemic, we had a center within a National Trauma network that t just ende, the Disaster Coalition for child and family resilience. And through that coalition we build regional relationships across states. One in the gulf south where we already had relationships because of disasters Hurricane Katrina chemical oil spill, but then in the northeast region of the United States across five states the regional coalitions are composed of people from all different backgrounds, state agencies,e education agencies, stakeholders in the community, people are involved in policy. We had some politicians involved. So that we were able to share information across the different groups for much better preparedness as we share information, response, and in recovery when the disaster of any type occurs, not just a natural or technological disaster but also at terrorism attack or shooting that has occurred in a community or shooting that is occurred in schools, that we can share information haveon Immediate Response to the situations. I really feel that the work of the National ChildTraumatic Stress network speaks to some of the issues that isth already coe up in terms of integrating across Community Innovative ways to provide Mental Health services in ways that would be quite acceptable. The other thing that want to bring up thatt has not been discussed is the imports of houses for resilience of how to support resilience in children and how to support resilience in families. Certainly we have seen family being pressed immeasurably during the covid pandemic. What i call it is a definite and definite information, everything changed all the time, and definite uncertainty. We did know what was going to happen from one day to the next. How can a family come together and howsy can a School System or Community Come together when you dont know how things are going to change from day to day works and the issue came up of how to communicate and i think thats why theres been excellent exit interviews of social media as a way to connect. We were told we couldnt be around people, so i can children relate to their friends . And how can one have a sense of family if you cant see people and relate to them . I think its really very important for us to think about how to establish connections across families and connections across communities. Oneti of them, i see in just abt out of time, is going to give you a brief example how we brought together families and children after Hurricane Katrina on some of the crew ships that house people, did not have housing, and how we worked together, including Mental Health as a way of just being there. That Something Weird to think about also as supporting parents to be able to just be there and listen to the children and give support to parents to be able to do that. Thank you very much. Thank you. Our next witness is doctor joshua garcia. Dr. Garcia is the superintendent of the tacoma, washington, School District. He previously served as deputy superintendent assistant Superintendent High School principal, assistant principal, athletic director, teacher. Other than that, not much . [laughing] thank you very much for being with us, dr. Garcia. Chairman sanders come Ranking Member cassidy, members of the committee, i am proud superintendent of tacoma School District and honor to share the viewpoint of superintendents for ons important hearing focus Mental Health of our nations you and to speak with you about what we have observed, what weve been doing and what we might do together to curb the Youth Mental Health crisis in america. Tacoma is fullyco committed to each of our students being safe, engaged, supportive, healthy and challenged. We recognize Mental Health impacts us all. Mental health includes her emotional, psychological and social wellbeing. It h affects how we think and a. It helps us determine how we handle stress,ma relate to ots and make healthy choices. During aof highly critical phase of development for lack of support and comprehensive approaches are significantly impacting our sensibility to go socially, emotionally and academic development. Tacoma Public Schools more than 28,000 suits represent 170 represent 170 tribes and ethnicities, over 2000 qualifies homeless come over 51st present qualifies low income and over 15 qualify or special education students. In the 201112 score each of our high schools was labeled as a dropout factory. We were inpo the dire state ande needed a new approach. A new approach. We started the tacoma hold Child Initiative and intentional action plan the recognize student of 124 hours a day seven days a week. Fast work to 2022, 90. 2 of her students graduate in four years, 86. 7 of our high schools take collegelevel classes because youre alone over 12,000 participants in kindergarten through eighth grade of engage in afterschool activity in kindergarten through eighth we have engage in afterschool activity and Record Number of High School Students are participating in job experience. Tacoma has been able to make big strides to improve outcomes but we know the challenges our sins are facing are only growing. In the last year our students, tony, and you, real, i said, marco, dj, savior, larry and i havent shot in our community. Our students have to survive human trafficking, about homelessness, drug abuse, physical and mental abuse and social media harassment and bullying. Es although this may not be new challenges to assassination, the speed of thepe incidences and te Traumatic Stress are only increasing. Likee you and i are students ae being pumped combined wiw defense come daily expensess of, hate and stress that unlike us doing this without fully developed brains. Pi coping skills or access to preventive and a therapeutic services. In 2021, 13,239 of our 10thgraders in ourde state mada plan for suicide. As you heard Washington State is not unique. Our students are facing tremendous challenges and schools cant do this work alone. Weve moved away from episodic events to Sustainable Practices across our buildings and our community. They are focus on three elements, Prevention Strategies, response strategies, and therapeutic services. Our Prevention Strategies can each of our schools develop and intentional plan to support social and Emotional Learning. They contextually each plant at each school site. Our students are engaged in physical and Mental Wellness supports during the day and in the afterschool ecosystem. We do this with the beyond the club which use shared as a model, committee assets, and bld fighting over 70 partners. Our system of positive behavioral supports ensures student unrest in school expectation, fostering stability and reinforcing healthy Mental Health habits weor provide a sae space for students to build belonging during evening and nonschool hours. We support and train, facilitate practice with intentional hearing and understanding. We provide peer support. And intensive supports for student at risks. The department of Education Credits we were able to invest in therapeutic prevention and strategy, tps is not obviously to alone to meet the needs. To meet this challenge were implementing an ambitious plan for students for health providers. Here are things i en