A plan was unveiled by Florida first lady Casey DeSantis to permit parents to become coaches and mentors in classrooms as part of a "resiliency" effort to improve mental health services for pupils in K-12 schools, Florida Politics reported on Wednesday.
DeSantis proposed the plan during an event at Florida State University before a meeting of the State Board of Education, which is expected to approve the program.
The initiative is an effort to "reframe and rethink the way we're approaching mental health," DeSantis said. "It's not about being a victim relegated to a set of circumstances you cannot overcome."
She said the $21 million program will provide teachers with a curriculum to teach students positive values, such as perseverance, problem-solving, critical thinking, and volunteerism, according to Florida Politics.
The fact that parents of students at a school can sign up for training in the resiliency effort will also help give mental health counselors in schools the opportunity to focus on the more "acute" cases, DeSantis said.
Education Commissioner Manny Diaz called the plan a "brilliant idea to bring moms and dads into school and give them this training," adding that the program should be ready for the next school year.
Enthusiasm for the plan also came from Jack Brewer, a former NFL player who runs a mentorship program for at-risk youth. He said that the program will deal with the "root problem" of having 2.5 million children in Florida living in one-parent households who "don't have that manly influence in their lives."
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
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