With the rapidly increasing mental health needs in the local community, the Warren County R-III School District has been working diligently to equip its students and staff with the necessary resources.Concerns were raised over the demands placed upon building counselors and how their time to handle the frequent student crises that arise is limited by day-to-day responsibilities that include scheduling and testing.Responsibilities were also being placed upon staff that was not trained or equipped to handle given situations, placing an unfair burden on teachers and leaving students without proper support.“We wanted to make sure we are taking into consideration the needs of both the students and staff and that we have trained personnel in place for those situations,” said Superintendent Dr. Gregg Klinginsmith.And the need for a comforting voice or listening ear was greater than ever last month, as the district lost one of its own. Senior Megan Gross died as the result of a motor vehicle accident on the way to school on the morning of Sept. 17, leaving students and teachers distraught.The district sprung into action immediately, mobilizing a crisis support team that included four counselors from the local agency Crider Health Center. In addition, counselors from surrounding school districts came to offer support.“Wright City sent counselors over, which was a really wonderful thing,” said Klinginsmith. “It helped people manage through a really tough, sad time. It’s nice to have those professionals be able to come work with us through one of the saddest times we’ll have.”Klinginsmith was extremely pleased with the response and felt the students’ needs were adequately met during a very challenging week.“Our counselors are so important in these situations,” said Klinginsmith. “You can’t have too many of them. We were so thankful for the extra help that came from Crider as well.”Over the past year R-III has hired a behavioral specialist and licensed social worker to serve within the district. Just this school year another two licensed therapists were added to the staff to handle crisis situations throughout the five buildings on campus.It was part of Klinginsmith’s plan to make certain every student has at least “one caring adult” they feel comfortable going to for support.“The educational support counselors are here to help kids in crisis and meet with them regularly to build relationships and help them understand their triggers so they can get back to class and learning,” said Klinginsmith.Once the students’ needs have been met, additional counselors will also be available for any staff who might be experiencing delayed trauma from putting their emotions on the shelf while helping students.“As teachers we give our all to the kids, so sometimes that’s a detriment, because we don’t take care of ourselves,” said Klinginsmith. “We want to make sure that is addressed for our staff.”Warren County R-III School District logo