Local organization hopes to provide more mental health resources to students

By Melanie Johnson

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    ST. LOUIS, Missouri (KMOV) — A local nonprofit organization tells News 4 that despite numerous attempts to bring a mental health resource center to the St. Louis Public Schools, their attempts have been unsuccessful.

“When we look at the trauma that’s going on right now specifically in that CVPA school and those children who suffered, we’re wondering why we can’t be that solution for them,” says WalkNFaith Executive Director Sabrina Davis.

WalkNFaith has partnered with SLPS since 2020 to provide emotional support for district students and their families battling abuse, trauma, and violence.

“There are a lot of kids that are dealing with no food at home, social and emotional issues and those are issues that I don’t think are being tackled by the district,” she says.

Davis provided News 4 with emails dating back to 2021 asking the district to buy into her idea to create a hub for this program at a vacated Stevens Middle School.

“We actually provided a long layout 24/7 crisis community hub that will be used for Stevens Middle School as well provide the trauma and the support,” says Davis. “There was no response, and it feels as if this has been put on the backburner.”

The most recent email was sent three days before the shooting at Central Visual and Performing Arts High School and Collegiate School of Medicine and Bioscience.

‘We would like to request the usage of Stevens Middle School and partnership to develop a safe haven for youth. Our organization has several youth programs to reduce violence, facilitate community and family engagement, boost positive emotional and social wellbeing and combat mental illness, substance use, and suicide in youth living in high-crime communities.”

An SLPS spokesperson provided the following in response in response to this story:

“The District has no agreements with this organization and has had no conversations with them in some time. If this organization truly wants to be a partner to SLPS and our nearly 20 thousand children, there is a process to follow.”

North County student Precious Barry is bringing issues of mental health and school safety to lawmakers as she is hoping for change.

“Being a student in school, my worry is I’m hoping that I come home safe to my parents. I come home safe to my community,” Barry said.

She said she wants to see a 24/7 mental health student center in St. Louis County and says her classmates need a place to go to get help for the things that they hear and see.

“We pay enough tax dollars that we can put mental health resources in our community. It’s time to break that stereotype. It’s time to break that stigma and make it a priority,” she said.

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