Florida Students in Sixth Grade and Above Will Now Get Mental Health Education

CNN reports Florida will become the third US state, behind Virginia and New York, to require information about students' mental health. After the unanimous vote held by the Florida State Board of Education on Wednesday, public schools are required to "provide students in grades six and above a minimum of five hours of mental health education annually." The Typical Student team learned the details. 

Student Mental Health Issues Statistic

The big change comes at the heels of the latest studies revealing how screen time and social media impacts teenagers mentally. According to the department's press release, the subjects in the curriculum will cover the following topics:

• awareness of signs and symptoms,
• the process for getting or seeking help for themselves or others,
• awareness of resources and what to do or say to peers struggling with mental health disorders.

Not Everything Is Clear

Despite the response to the announcement was generally positive, comments on social media have been mixed. Neither start date, nor the profs to teach the material have been announced.