A Message to Students and Families: Making Sure We All Know Where to Turn for Help
Posted On September 25, 2026
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Dear MCPS Families and Students,
I hope that you have had a great start to the school year. I am writing to share important information about a critical issue in our schools - student mental health. Our students are carrying a lot: schoolwork expectations, friendships, family challenges, social media, anxiety, grief, bullying and the everyday pressures of growing up–really, life–all of which with the backdrop of a complex digital world with social media that amplifies a lot of distress. Simply put, we cannot assume that because a student looks fine, they are fine. There is a lot going on beneath the surface.
We have to pay attention, ask questions, and listen. Just as important: students need to know that asking for help is normal, and exactly where to find it.
Today is See Something, Say Something Day, a national recognition of the importance of creating safe school environments through shared accountability. Sometimes saying something means reporting a safety concern. It can also mean noticing that a friend does not seem like themselves and asking, “Are you okay?” And sometimes it means saying, “I need someone to talk to.”
In recognition of See Something, Say Something Day and our greater need to support school safety and student mental health and well-being, we are launching a campaign to make our students more aware of the resources available to them. Beginning next week, students will see more visible and consistent information about mental health and well-being in all secondary schools. Why are we doing this? Because we have many resources available, but we haven't always made them easy to find or access. We are changing that, making help hard to miss and easy to use.
How are we doing this?
Students will see mental health and crisis-support resources throughout their schools, with clear, simple ways to find help, including:
- Posters in every secondary classroom and hallway with crisis-support information.
- Take-away cards and stickers with resources students can keep close at hand.
- Staff buttons to help students identify trusted adults they can turn to.
- School-specific email addresses that connect students directly with support in their building.
- Classroom lessons focused on mental health, supporting one another and knowing when and how to ask for help.
Let’s go a little deeper. There are two things I especially want every student and family to know:
Be the One. We want students to look out for one another and understand when and how to seek help. If a student or someone they know has an immediate and urgent need related to mental health, suicide or substance use, they can call or text 988 or chat with 988 online for immediate support. This is an important resource when you can’t wait and need help right away.
Here4U. Every student should be able to identify a trusted adult in their school who are there to listen, help students work through challenges and, to provide necessary support. We are providing more and clearer information and making it easy for students to request school-based support when they need someone to talk to.
Getting help can and should simply start with: “I need someone to talk to.”
That may sound simple. It is supposed to be; that’s really the point.
Families, please talk with your child about who they trust at school and where they would turn if they were worried about themselves or a friend. Remind them that they do not have to wait for a crisis to ask for help.
So again, that is our goal: make support visible, make access simple and make asking for help normal.
We (MCPS) are here for you.
Thomas W. Taylor, Ed.D., M.B.A.
Superintendent of Schools
Montgomery County Public Schools
Learn more on the MCPS Mental Health Services website
Critical Services:
