The Summit Victim Assistance program is partnering with Akron Public Schools to provide mental health support for students when tragedies occur.
Akron Schools’ student support services director Daniel Rambler says having outside support for students helps limit mistakes in care while allowing teachers to focus on what they know best.
“If a child passes away in a fire then you’re helping other kids deal with that, that’s not something that educators have great experience with and it’s not something that’s easy to do and there’s a lot of mistakes that people who don’t have the experiences can do.”
The partnership was established because a new state law requires all school districts to address mental health care in their Emergency Operations Plans.
The support team from Summit Victim Assistance will work alongside the psychologists and psychiatrists already employed by Akron Public Schools.
