RAISR4D Suicide

A Call to Action: Addressing the Mental Health Crisis in Schools

25/06/2026

AI Summary

School nurses are essential to address rising anxiety, ADHD, autism, depression and suicide among students, supporting wellbeing and academic success.
Engage at federal and state levels on policies like the 2025 MAHA report, universal screening mandates, nurse staffing ratios and cell phone legislation.
Implement local strategies: validated mental health screening, coordinated referrals, individual care plans, extended recess, digital literacy and balanced daily routines.

NASN Sch Nurse. 2026 Jun 24:1942602X261461504. doi: 10.1177/1942602X261461504. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

School nurses play a key role in addressing the growing mental health crisis faced by school-age children. Rates of anxiety, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, depression, and suicide continue to rise. These conditions reflect a complex interplay of genetic predisposition, environmental influences, and policy factors. School nurses can act at the federal, state, and local level to address the crisis. At the federal and state levels, nurses can engage policy discussions surrounding initiatives such as the 2025 MAHA report, universal screening mandates, school nurse staffing ratios, and cell phone legislation. At the local level, nurses can conduct mental health screenings using validated tools, coordinate referrals, manage individualized care plans, advocate for extended recess and digital literacy education, and pilot balanced daily routines. By collaborating with administrators and legislators and addressing the causes associated with the mental health crisis, school nurses are well positioned to support student well-being and academic success.

PMID:42343148 | DOI:10.1177/1942602X261461504

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