MEDIA ALERT: Goldie Hawn, National Education Leaders to Discuss the Nation’s Mental Health Crisis at AASA Virtual Forum

WHAT: As school buildings are opening their doors to 50 million students across the country, nearly half (42%) of our young learners felt “persistently sad or hopeless” while nearly one third (29%) experienced poor mental health, according to the CDC’s latest Youth Risk Behavior Survey. To help school districts address the growing mental health crisis, Academy Award winner Goldie Hawn, the creator of MindUP, a program helping children develop the mental fitness to thrive in school and throughout their lives, is teaming up with the leadership of AASA, The School Superintendents Association, and national education leaders during a virtual forum hosted by AASA.  

Hawn and Illinois State Superintendent Tony Sanders will shed light on the significance of mental health support in our school systems. Together, they will share success stories from school districts across the country. Participants—to be comprised of AASA’s SEL and Mental Health Leadership Network Cohort members—will have an opportunity to learn from a panel of three school system leaders who will provide recommendations on how school districts can effectively support children in need.

WHEN: The AASA Virtual Forum will be held Monday, Aug. 14, 2023, from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (ET).

WHO:

• David Schuler, Executive Director, AASA
• Goldie Hawn, Founder/CEO, MindUP
• Gladys Cruz, District Superintendent, Questar III BOCES (N.Y.), 2023-24 AASA President
• Paul Imhoff, Director of Government Relations, Buckeye Association of School Administration (Ohio), AASA Past President
• Dawn Apodaca, Superintendent, Mountainair Public Schools (N.M.)
• Gregg Behr, Executive Director, Grable Foundation
• Dan Bridges, Superintendent, Naperville Community Unit School District 203 (Ill.)
• Anntwanique Edwards, Chief of Equity, Inclusion and Community Engagement, Alachua County Schools (Fla.)
• Ann Levett, Assistant Executive Director, AASA
• Tony Sanders, Illinois State Superintendent
  

Reporters interested in registering for the AASA Virtual Forum can contact James Minichello, AASA director of communications and public relations, at jminichello@aasa.org.

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About AASA
AASA, The School Superintendents Association, founded in 1865, is the professional organization for more than 13,000 educational leaders in the United States and throughout the world. AASA’s mission is to support and develop effective school system leaders who are dedicated to equitable access for all students to the highest quality public education. For more information, visit www.aasa.org.