On Thursday morning, lawmakers in the House Committee on Education were shown an image of a raw egg, caught between the jaws of a vise and just beginning to crack. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
That egg, part of a PowerPoint presentation by Franklin Northeast Supervisory Union Superintendent Lynn Cota, was a metaphor for the state of mental health in Vermont schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThere comes a point \u2014 a breaking point \u2014 where things start to break,\u201d Cota told lawmakers. \u201cAnd I think that we are dangerously close to a breaking point with all that we’re trying to hold in public education.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The testimony came in a hearing about children\u2019s mental health and staffing shortages in schools and Vermont\u2019s designated agencies, nonprofits tasked with providing mental health treatment to communities across the state. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over the past five years, schools and agencies have faced a two-pronged challenge: increased mental health needs from children, and a lack of resources to provide treatment. Like an egg caught between the jaws of the vise, the system is showing cracks, officials said. Read more\u2026<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n