Mental Health and Wellness in Schools Starts with Educators

 
Almost one in four students between the ages of 12 and 18 reported in 2019 that they experienced bullying. Addressing this disproportionate impact on students is critical because bullying increases the likelihood of developing mental health needs such as depression and anxiety.

Today’s episode addresses a fundamental question: How can we tackle the behavioral health needs of young students to ensure they receive the proper attention and have opportunities for positive mental health and wellness?

DisruptED host Ron J. Stefanski brings back Will McCoy, Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Invo Healthcare, for the second episode to their two-part episode series to talk about:

• The prevalence of bullying in K-12 classrooms

• Changes to how educators address bullying due to the Covid-19 pandemic

• Invo Healthcare’s approach to address their student’s mental health and wellness needs

Will discovered that the pandemic didn’t just adversely impact student learning—it also affected student behavior. And he’s right. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, “Eighty-seven percent of public schools agreed or strongly agreed that the pandemic has negatively impacted student socio-emotional development.”

McCoy explains to our listeners that “what we see coming out of it are the impacts of kindergarten through second graders that weren’t in a classroom, that didn’t have that fundamental behavioral training–because that’s what kindergarten is.”

In part 2 of this 2-part episode, Stefanski and McCoy also discuss…

● How McCoy’s career path led to his position at Invo Healthcare.

● How the pandemic and view of the teaching profession influenced how bullying is addressed by educators.

● How Invo Healthcare is tackling teacher and school training to help address school bullying

McCoy states that his organizations work is “about empowering those [who are] bullied with the right tools but also wrapping [our arms] around those people that are bullying others and saying, ‘This is not the normal way that humans engage with each other on a very fundamental level and also to be able to empower staff to have those conversations, to set up the school and to reduce it in society in general.”

Will McCoy is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Invo Healthcare. His experience is in the education, technology, marketing, and sales sectors. Some of his previous positions include Vice President of Business Development and Senior Business Strategist and Program Lead for Education and Outreach at Sonoma Technology, Inc. as well as Founder of Ed Tech Authority. McCoy has a BA in Fine and Studio Arts from California State University, Chico, and an MS in Education Curriculum, Instruction, and Technology from Nova Southeastern University.