Casting the lone “NO” vote at the Feb. 10 BV School Board meeting, member Jim McMullen voted against the district accepting a state grant to add 12 additional Social Workers to Blue Valley Schools. https://johnsoncountypost.com/2025/02/20/blue-valley-to-hire-12-more-social-workers-to-go-into-schools
The district already has a partnership with Children’s Mercy - which provides vital mental health supports directly to students and families. McMullen was also the lone vote against that partnership in July 2023. Read our post about that 2023 vote and some of the other votes McMullen has made against the interests of Blue Valley students: https://tinyurl.com/3vsbezne
All six other School Board members have shown dedication to prioritizing student mental health. As the JoCo Post reports, McMullen calls mental health a “buzzword,” saying “It’s not positive, and I just don’t support it.” Notably, McMullen was a founder of the local Moms For Liberty chapter in 2021. MFL has taken a hard stand against providing healthcare services in America’s public schools.
We’re thankful that Blue Valley teachers and administrators, six Board members, and our area’s outstanding children’s hospital system understand how important student mental health and well-being is to successful learning.
See other Blog posts related to Jim McMullen: https://www.standupbluevalley.org/blog/categories/jim-mcmullen
Learn more about how Social Workers support BV students: https://www.bluevalleyk12.org/Page/34470
