South Brunswick Schools Challenges State Cut To Mental Health Programs

SOUTH BRUNSWICK, NJ — Like many South Brunswick students, high school junior Aparna Parthasarathy believes students' mental health should be a top priority at schools.

The school district mental health program is “extensive” and she knows students who avail them when needed. However, with New Jersey set to overhaul its student mental health system, leaving South Brunswick with no funds, Parthasarathy is concerned about the impact it could have on vulnerable students.

“If you look at the South Asian community, talking about mental health is not a priority at home. So many students get help through the school district,” Parthasarathy said.

“If these programs are forced to shut down, many students may not get the immediate help they need, someone who they know and can confide in. It’s troubling.”

South Brunswick Schools is among 90 school districts that face the closure of mental health programming. Officials said that the school district is to lose 100 percent of funding for its student mental health services, including the BRIDGE program. More: Schools Could Lose Mental Health Center Funding In South Brunswick

In the 2023-24 academic year, the state is seeking to create regional “hubs” of mental health services. As a result, the school-based youth services program will be defunded. The regionalized “hub” model will be operated by the state Department of Children and Families.

The administration says that a more centralized system would provide mental health resources to more students across the state in response to increased rates of depression, stress and anxiety, exacerbated by the pandemic.

The proposed model —New Jersey Statewide Student Support Services network, or NJ4S - will have a wider reach, concentrating resources in districts that need them the most, according to the Murphy administration.

But removing school-based services could dissuade students from reaching out for help, said Parthasarathy.

“It’s so important to know the people you talk to about such issues. Removing school-based mental health programs and creating a central hub, delegitimizes student experiences,” the student said.

South Brunswick Superintendent Scott Feder told the community that the proposed closure of mental health programming comes at an “incredibly bad time.”

“It comes at an incredibly bad time when all research talks about school-based mental health support. And the state of New Jersey has decided that school-based mental health is a bad idea,” Feder told the community during the Board of Education meeting last week.

School-based mental health services can improve access to care, allow for early identification and treatment of mental health issues, and may be linked to reduced absenteeism and better mental health outcomes, according to a September 2022 report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

The district said it was not “sitting idle” and is continuing to fight the state's decision.

“We are taking this affront to student mental health very seriously. And we are challenging back,” Feder said.

The district has joined a group of other schools and organizations trying to help stop the cut in funding.

The matter is already being discussed at the school level, Feder said. The district plans to mobilize students, families, the entire Township, and other affected districts and communities.

South Brunswick school district is asking the community to sign a petition, urging the governor's office to save the programs.

“We’ll be using everything we have in our toolbox to challenge the Governor’s office,” Feder said. “This kind of a decision lacks humanity.”

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