News staff writer Julie Riddle recently profiled efforts at Alcona Community Schools to tackle what the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, and the Children’s Hospital Association calls a mental health crisis among our youth.

There, the three school therapists carry caseloads of 30 to 40 students apiece, not including crisis response. The district hopes to hire another therapist, no easy task as school officials statewide say they can’t find workers qualified for those jobs.

We’re glad to see schools working to tackle this problem.

When students struggle with anxiety or depression, it can distract them from schoolwork, hurting their grades and, if things get bad enough, setting them up on the wrong course for their future.

We have to tackle mental health among our youth, and we urge anyone qualified to apply for a school counselor’s position to do so.

But it can’t all fall on schools. Parents have a big role to play, too, and we urge every parent to check in on their children’s mental health.

MentalHealth.gov offers the following tips:

∫ Communicate in a straightforward manner

∫ Speak at a level that is appropriate to a child or adolescent’s age and development level (preschool children need fewer details than teenagers)

∫ Discuss the topic when your child feels safe and comfortable

∫ Watch for reactions during the discussion and slow down or back up if your child becomes confused or looks upset

∫ Listen openly and let your child tell you about his or her feelings and worries

Most of all, both parents and school leaders just need to “be there,” Alcona Community Schools eighth-grader Adonia Schott told Riddle. “Just be understanding.”