In 2019, the Rockville Centre school district in Long Island, New York, was shaken by a string of student deaths, including the suicides of a recent graduate and a student. “When you get these losses, one after the other, you almost can’t get traction on normalcy,” said Noreen Leahy, an assistant superintendent at the school district. To Leahy, the student suicides exposed a children’s mental health crisis that had been brewing for years. She had observed a concerning uptick in depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation among students. Her school district had a team of mental health professionals, but Leahy said they couldn’t provide the kind of long-term care many students needed. “Remember, psychologists and social workers and counselors in school districts are there to make sure kids are learning,” Leahy said. “We’re not hospital wards. We don’t do psychotherapy. So it’s very limited what we can do for these students.” …