As we return to school, we are reminded that Colorado continues to face a rising crisis in how we support the emotional and social development of our children. We had been on the right track.
In the 2024-25 academic year, the legislature created a school-based program that provided every middle and high school student free screening to identify and support their emotional, social and behavioral needs. This program was developed and implemented, and then funding was repealed in April — a measure that may be penny-wise, but is pound-foolish.
Here’s why that decision mattered and why it is crucial that we restore funding.
School is an important part of life for Colorado youth. They spend half of their waking hours at school, sometimes more — that’s thousands of hours across middle and high school. School becomes not just a place, but a community of friends, teachers, parents and other trusted adults.
Because of the time students invest in school and the schoolyard community they build, we know that implementing healthy lifestyle programs and interventions in the school setting works. We have seen success in nutrition, exercise and bullying prevention.
In my work as a pediatric psychologist, I would argue screening for well-being concerns belongs in the school setting, too.
Prevention works. It helps us to catch small issues before they turn into crises. Screening for emotional, behavioral and social concerns in the school setting can connect youth in need with the right resources.
Without a standardized and universal screening program, children in need will fall through the cracks. This is especially true given that the ratios of school psychologists and counselors in Colorado are far below national recommendations.
Even in well-resourced districts and schools, staff are overburdened. Screening can help our school leadership identify who needs support and strategically place staff where they are needed most.
For many students, a positive screening results in a conversation with a trained professional; for a few, it may trigger a family call and a referral, ensuring each student gets the right level of support at the right time. That’s why this cut matters — it took down the safety net for children with additional emotional, behavioral and social challenges.
The universal screening program was cut in April and saved the state of Colorado close to $3 million. But unaddressed emotional and behavioral challenges in childhood often snowball into bigger problems for families, schools and communities. And studies have shown that for every $1 invested in prevention, we save $2-$10 in downstream costs. That includes school discipline, absenteeism, health care and lost productivity.
Some might argue that schools shouldn’t take this on. Schools are primarily viewed as a place for academic growth.
Still, they are also where our children have opportunities to manage their emotions under challenging circumstances, choose their responses when under pressure and work with others with similar and different skillsets and points of view. Schools are key to developing our youth into the leaders, thinkers and do-ers of Colorado’s future.
Supporting emotional and social growth is as foundational to learning as reading, writing, and math. When lawmakers repealed the School Mental Health Screening Act in April, we lost one of the few tools we had to ensure every student — not just those with resources at home — could be seen, heard and supported as they grow.
We had a simple, fair tool. It prevented small challenges from becoming big and helped schools use resources responsibly when staff are scarce. Cutting this support costs more than the sticker price.
We should restore funding for universal screening statewide and share the yearly results on reach, referrals and student/family satisfaction. Let’s restore universal screening and give our youth the right support at the right time.
Emily Wheat, of Denver, is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus and a licensed clinical psychologist. The opinions expressed are the author’s and do not represent the position of the University of Colorado Anschutz.
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