MARLBOROUGH, Mass. - Educators and public safety leaders met in Marlborough Tuesday to discuss school-based mental health leadership.

The Massachusetts Partnerships for Youth held a hybrid conference at Assabet Valley Regional Vocational High School.

Attendees discussed how school staff can work to address students’ well-being.

Speakers said there was a mental health crisis in schools pre-pandemic but COVID-19 escalated the issue.

Leaders said there is a large number of students dealing with anxiety, depression and PTSD.

“When we were going through the pandemic in Methuen we reported that about 37%-38% of students were experiencing moderate to severe post-traumatic stress, about 34% moderate to severe anxiety and depression,” said John Crocker, the founder and director of the Massachusetts School Mental Health Consortium. “So it really underscores the fact that we're talking about a massive swath of students that have significant needs. The reality is that those needs need to be addressed with systems-level support."

"We have a variety today of psychologists, social workers, school counselors, other helping professionals in our audience,” said Margie Daniels, the executive director for the Massachusetts Partnerships For Youth. “And how we can work together and put our skills together in a collaborative and helpful fashion. So we're not working in silos, we're all working together to address the issues."

About 70 people attended the event in person, while nearly 300 attended virtually.