The Tucson Unified School District has launched an app that will put academic resources and mental health support at students’ fingertips.
The idea for the app titled “Tucson Unified Connect” was born out of the need they saw during the pandemic, said Assistant Superintendent of Equity, Diversity and Inclusiveness Kinasha Brown.
"We wanted to do things like have scholarship resources, job postings, services that students could reach. And one of our main features was to provide mental and behavior health support," she said.
Through the app, the district and its partners — counseling provider “Talkspace” and Palo Verde Behavioral Health — can help students in distress and contemplating suicide by connecting them with resources such as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.
“In addition to that, we have a video that is embedded in the app that lets our students know we are there for them and we care for them, but if this is a medical emergency to please reach out to 911," Brown said.
Students must be at least 13 years old and have parents’ permission to use the app’s mental health feature.
