Almost 9% of Kentucky schools don't have a counselor

As the demand for mental health services grows, a new report revealed a continued need for more school counselors in Kentucky.

Last week, the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet released its annual school safety report, detailing the security measures schools are taking to keep students safe.

The report also details the staffing of mental health professionals and counselors in schools, an area which continues to be an area for improvement in the state.

This year, the cabinet reported 8.8% of schools do not have a certified school counselor.

It also found 46.4% of schools in Kentucky only have one counselor for more than 250 students, not meeting the state's target of a 1:250 ratio, which was established in a 2019 law.

While that's down slightly from 48.2% in the previous year's report.

Sherlyn Bratcher, president of the Kentucky School Counselor Association (KSCA), said the need is concerning.

"Obviously, for our students, it's a huge problem meeting their mental health needs. We know that even before COVID, we were having mental health issues and concerns for our students," Bratcher said. "I think, as we've seen, COVID just increase that awareness for everyone."

It comes as many current counselors take on more responsibilities at their schools, and kids and teens have more awareness of mental health.

"Kids are coming to school, and there's a whole lot that they're carrying in their backpacks, a lot of that trauma that they're bringing in," said Shannon Fryar, a school counselor at Elkhorn Middle School in Franklin County. "So I really wanted to focus on meeting those needs outside of school because they're never going to learn if you're not meeting those basic needs and making them feel safe here at school."

Both agree that students need to have their social, emotional, and mental needs met before they are able to succeed in the classroom. Without a school counselor, some of those needs may go unaddressed.

"They're never going to learn if you're not meeting those basic needs and making them feel safe here at school," Fryar said.

Bratcher added that the problem will need to be addressed with funding from the state, which KSCA is pushing for from lawmakers.

KSCA hopes to see lawmakers take action in the coming legislative session.