A message from the Illinois State Board of Education:

December 8, 2020

Dear Colleagues,

The COVID-19 pandemic has taken away many of the outlets that make us and our students feel connected and excited about life – from canceled holiday gatherings with family, to postponed extracurricular activities, to celebrating birthdays over zoom instead of surrounded by the warmth of friends. Add to that, the herculean demands of teaching and learning remotely, plus the everyday stress and worry that a mere trip to the grocery store could possibly make us or a loved one sick, and it’s no wonder that students and educators across the state are sounding the alarm about mental health.

We hear you. The Illinois State Board of Education has announced a new program to increase mental health supports for Illinois students and educators. It’s called Resilience Education to Advance Community Healing (REACH). We are proud to have as our partners the Center for Childhood Resilience (CCR) at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital and Peoria County Regional Office of Education 48.

The CCR Virtual Learning Community provides every Illinois educator access to online trainings to learn how to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma and to address students’ social-emotional and mental health needs. Critically, the virtual trainings also support educators’ own personal and professional well-being and self-care during COVID-19 and beyond.

We realize that mental health warning signs often occur outside of the typical school day. Students and educators may be experiencing anxiety, depression, fatigue, poor concentration, substance use, or suicidal thoughts. We have compiled resources to support students’ and educators’ mental health 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The list includes the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (call 1-800-273-8255 for free and confidential support for people in distress and best practices for professionals), the Crisis Text Line (text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor), Call4Calm (text TALK or HABLAR to 552020 to get connected to a counselor in your area), and Safe2Help Illinois (a 24/7 tip line that gives students a safe and confidential way to share information that might help prevent suicides, bullying, school violence, or other threats to school safety).

COVID-19 has forced us to adapt to a whole new world. I know you are juggling the needs of your students, yourself, and your own family. Feeling overwhelmed is normal. Having good days and bad days is normal. You are not alone. Your health and wellbeing, both physical and mental, is my number one priority. I want to personally thank you for all that you’re doing during these particularly stressful times and to encourage you, please, to take care of yourselves. I hope that the REACH initiative and CCR Virtual Learning Community will serve you and our students in this mental health journey.

Sincerely,
Dr. Carmen I. Ayala, Illinois State Superintendent