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Researchers examined the impact of behavior on educational achievement as
well as how a diagnosis of mental illness may impact educational practices in the
public-school setting (Doll et al., 2017). Typically, researchers studied one particular
area of mental health and its impact on a smaller portion of the population, such as
race, gender, or socioeconomic status. Past studies suggested a grave outlook for
the mental health of today’s students by characterizing mental health issues as the
cause of many school-based problems (Rosvall, 2019; Westad et al., 2011). For one
specific school district, this perceived rise in mental health issues across the district Dr. Brittany Turner is
prompted a study of the trending areas in the district’s mental health referrals to the Assistant to the
determine if a rise in mental health needs indeed existed and if there were more Superintendent for
Support Services
students from the special education population being referred than from general in the Russellville
education. School District,
The literature supported providing increased mental health services for students, Arkansas. Turner
performing new research, and engaging in school-based interventions, including those earned a PhD from
for students in special populations. The escalation in classroom disruptions is not Texas Tech University
limited to the general education population but includes those with exceptionalities in special education
and has spent the last
(Gage et al., 2018). Classroom teachers consistently report increasing difficulty in 15 years working
the management of maladaptive behaviors in the classroom, but the source of these with students
issues has not been definitively identified. Additionally, it is not clear if the growing requiring intensive
trend in mental health referrals is a function of the needs of students in general or mental health and
in special education, leaving educators guessing as to where to focus interventions. academic support in
the classroom. brittany.
turner@rsdk12.net
Purpose of the Study
The escalation in students’ inappropriate maladaptive behaviors in the classroom
and its link to possible mental health needs led to statewide legislation and national
laws such as Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) prompting the reform of behavioral
and mental health support in the public-school sector (Castillo et al., 2019). For
some time, legislation has focused on the mental health crisis in the United States
(Darrow, 2016). However, due to the ambiguity as to whether the need for mental
health intervention is greater in general versus special education, school districts
continue to ponder solutions. This study sought to determine the trends in mental
health referrals in a specific district to make informed decisions in order to provide
quality mental health programming in its public schools.

Research Questions
1. What is the overall pattern of all School-Based Mental Health referrals over
the 5 school years (2015–2016 to 2019–2020) within the studied school
district?
2. What patterns (grade level, gender, reason for referral) may be occurring
among demographic information found within the school-based mental
health referrals completed over the 5 (2015–2016 to 2019–2020) consecutive
school years?
3. What pattern may be occurring between the number of students with and
those without identified disabilities within the school-based mental health
referrals completed over the 5 (2015–2020) consecutive school years?
4. What patterns may be occurring among students who were identified as
having a disability within the school-based mental health completed over the
5 (2015–2020) consecutive school years?

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