Superintendent: “Our kids are in crisis”

More than halfway through watching the May 13, 2026, Board of Finance (BOF) meeting, I didn’t think there would be much to write about. Stafford Free Press already reported when the Board of Selectmen (BOS) and the Board of Education (BOE) approved their separate budget requests. This meeting was just a rehashing of that information. But then BOF member Dave Walsh started asking questions and Superintendent of Stafford Public Schools Scott Sugarman painted a picture of the reality of schools today. 

“Our kids are in crisis,” he said.

Sugarman went on to describe scenarios in which principals have to drop what they’re doing to handle multiple students verbalizing suicidal ideation. “I understand that people are struggling financially, but, in my opinion, the kids should be held harmless of that,” he continued. 

“We have the numbers. The numbers of hospitalizations, 911 calls, suicide attempts, 211 calls has more than doubled this year…,” Sugarman said. “That’s the new reality in education. I wish it was just about reading, writing, and math, trust me. I do. And that we could go play sports and win state championships and do all those things—but it’s not anymore and it hasn’t been that way for a long time. And if we’re tasked with finding money we will find it. And if we’re tasked with reinventing what we’re doing, we will do it. And we will do our best to shield that impact to students.”

Sugarman says the needs of students are outpacing the resources allocated to help them. The stats show that’s true on a national level as well. According to a study published in JAMA Open Network that looked at trends among people from ages 5 to 22, “the overall incidence and prevalence of depression diagnosed clinically increased by approximately 60%, and anxiety diagnosed without depression incidence increased by 31% from 2017 to 2021.”

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