By Natasha Sokoloff

Strapped for funds and staff, Connecticut schools are struggling to keep up with climbing mental health and behavioral challenges among students, experts say.

Pandemic relief dollars that funded mental health services and staff positions in schools have dried up, leaving educators across the state reporting that escalating student challenges are not being addressed. State experts say the combination of insufficient funding, staffing shortages and rising student needs in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic have created a crisis for Connecticut schools.

“I feel like since COVID, we’ve kind of been in a mental health crisis,” said Michelle Boss, executive director of the Connecticut School Counselor Association. “We know that this is a very real problem for kids. … Students in Connecticut are struggling.”

In 2024, Connecticut saw record numbers of students needing behavioral health services, as well as an increased number of youth suicides, according to a recent request for funding by the state Department of Education.

About three-quarters of Connecticut educators surveyed said they do not feel equipped to deal with their students’ mental health challenges.