Minnesota lawmakers are digging in to what experts are calling a teen mental health crisis.
The Senate Education Policy Committee heard from social workers and others on what needs to happen in order for schools to better address student's mental health challenges.
DFL Senator Erin Maye Quade (Dakota County) says the problem goes beyond what schools can do given the increases in suicidal ideation among young people.
"All they're thinking to themselves is 'I don't wanna be here anymore,' and there's a bunch of people at the school who tell me every day that I shouldn't be here or I shouldn't be how I am," Maye Quade explains. "Or they get text messages after an election saying 'we're gonna pick you up for your cotton picking shift,' because slavery is back."
According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, nearly 20%of high school students recently reported having serious thoughts about suicide, with 9% reporting an actual suicide attempt.
The Committee heard from these experts on what is "Mental Health in Schools Day" on Wednesday.
Republican Senator Jim Abeler (Anoka County says fixing the problem likely needs to come from beyond the school setting.
"Certainly we care about the core academic studies and other things that we've discussed here," Abeler says. "But but I think that, we're not winning the fight on this and maybe we're asking the wrong question. Maybe in our assumptions, we think that the schools are responsible for student mental health."
You can find more information on teen mental health issues from NAMI here.