Lack of funds blocks law that obliges psychologists in schools

The presence of psychologists and social workers in schools was determined by Law 13,935 of 2019. However, for almost four years, this rule has only been on paper. Many entities of the Federation were unable to comply with the legal determination and include psychology and social service professionals in their staff. Data from the Psychology Council indicate that only 85 municipalities have complied with the legislation so far.

Sanctioned during the government of former President Jair Bolsonaro, the law that determines the presence of these professionals in schools is still struggling to be put into practice and needs to be regulated at state and municipal levels. The lack of resources to pay these professionals has been one of the major bottlenecks to carry out the actions.

According to Law 13.935/2019, multidisciplinary teams must develop actions to improve the quality of the teaching-learning process, with the participation of the school community, acting in the mediation of social and institutional relations. The work of the multidisciplinary team should consider the political-pedagogical project of public basic education networks and their teaching establishments.

With the increase in cases of depression among children and young people, and even “collective outbreaks of anxiety” in schools pointed out by experts, deputies promoted a public hearing in the Chamber of Deputies, this Monday (29), to discuss compliance with the law. The debate was requested by Deputy Rafael Brito (MDB-AL).

According to the parliamentarian, last year, there were cases of collective anxiety crisis in schools in Recife (PE), with groups of 20 or more students. And in March of this year, a similar case happened in Maceió (AL). “Classes entered a remote model and, in addition to the challenges regarding new ways of teaching and learning, the new context caused great damage to people’s lives. Losses, isolation, uncertainties, among other factors, contributed to the intensification of anxiety and depression”, he points out.

The term “outbreak of collective anxiety” was used to define a case that occurred in Recife, in April last year, when a group of 26 high school students needed to be seen by health professionals after showing symptoms of anxiety. The collective outbreak occurred in the first week of exams after the return of face-to-face classes, after two years of restrictions imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic.

These crises, according to psychologists, also called panic attacks, are characterized by episodes of very intense anxiety, with stronger physical sensations and the impression that something very bad, or even death, is close to happening. They can be triggered by a stressful event or occur unexpectedly, and they usually last from 5 to 20 minutes to a few hours.

Is school psychologists essential?

The presence of these professionals in schools has been identified as essential, amid the increase in cases of depression and anxiety in children and adolescents. A study carried out by the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (FMUSP) pointed out that 36% of children and adolescents showed signs of depression during the pandemic. In 2021, pediatricians and psychiatrists across the United States declared a state of emergency for children’s mental health.

Lílian Fernandes, a school psychologist in the Federal District’s public network, explains that the presence of a psychologist in the school “involves much more than the acceptance of emotional demands”. She works in an elementary school from the 6th to the 9th grade, together with a pedagogue, integrated into the Specialized Learning Support Team.

“We work institutionally and with a focus on learning, on pedagogy, providing advice to the entire school community, management, coordination, parents, students, teachers and in partnership with Educational Guidance. Our role is fundamental because it interconnects all actions in the school ’ says Lillian.

Among the actions of a psychologist at school, Lílian points out “the role of providing support in all circumstances, with guidance, assessment of students who have learning difficulties, monitoring, training and guidance for teachers on how to deal with students with learning difficulties “. They also advise on the reports, and in cases of emotional demands, welcome and guide parents in the search for suitable professionals. “At school we also try to work with prevention projects, with themes that involve emotional intelligence, bullying, emotions, respect for differences”, says Lílian.

About cases of depression, she explains that “the demand among children is increasingly frequent and they are being referred (to the psychologist) earlier and earlier”. “We have cases of self-mutilation in very young children. I work in an elementary school for the final years (6th to 9th grade), they are pre-adolescents and adolescents, it has been very common to deal with so many emotional demands”, she says.

Psychologist and parental advisor Fernanda Polsin also sees the role of a psychologist at school as important, given that these professionals “know about child development, can help the school team understand the demands of each age group”. “They guide the team on what comes out of the expected curve for each age and on how to deal with children who have a psychological diagnosis or difficulty in general”. In addition, they can help the students’ families with their various issues that come up against the school environment”, says Fernanda.

Fernanda also adds that school psychologists “alone are not able to provide the necessary care that a child or adolescent with depression needs”. “In cases like this, it is important to refer them to a clinical psychologist, child psychiatrist, neuropediatrician, depending on the student’s demand”, she reinforces.

Budget forecast is uncertain

The lack of resources to pay these professionals was identified as one of the main obstacles to the effectiveness of the law, during the hearing in the Chamber of Deputies. According to the vice-president of the National Union of Municipal Education Directors (Undime), Alessio Lima, around 50% of basic education schools are municipal. Just over 1,200 municipalities have a population of less than 5,000 inhabitants, some with less than a thousand students in the education network.

With the financing difficulties of the educational system, he stated at the Chamber hearing that it is difficult to hire a psychology professional and a social service professional for each of these locations. As a solution, Alessio Lima suggested integrating schools with existing psychology and social assistance services.

Regarding the lack of resources to hire these professionals, Brito mentioned that he was Secretary of Education for Alagoas and assured that today there is no lack of resources to finance the area. “There is no lack of money for Education, the constitutional percentages guarantee resources. Obviously, it is not possible to generalize 100% of the cases, but, in the vast majority, there is no lack of resources for the Country’s Education, what is lacking are the priorities, and this case here is certainly a priority that has to be attended to”, he argued. .

At the end of 2021, federal deputies approved a bill that includes social workers and psychologists among education professionals whose salaries can be paid with resources from the new Basic Education Development Fund (Fundeb). Bill 3418/2021 is authored by Deputy Dorinha Seabra Rezende (DEM-TO) and was reported by Gastão Vieira (Pros-MA). The text is now awaiting analysis by the Senate.

The idea of ​​including psychologists and social workers as education professionals was defended by class representatives, as long as they have specific training to work in the educational field.

For Raquel Guzzo, a member of the Federal Council of Psychology, specific training to work in education is essential, as it is not possible to simply transfer the clinic to the school context. According to her, when working at school, psychologists need to consider the educational contexts and educational policy for an adequate performance.

“Both psychology graduation and social work graduation have a generalist character due to the complexity of the function, and the generalist character prevents people from getting to know the field and updating themselves in the ways of acting within the school context. We need to open a competition for schools”, she defended.

Psychologist Lílian, on the other hand, does not see the need for a professional qualification, she only reinforces “the professional’s willingness to learn”. “We are essential professionals, but we do not have the necessary appreciation and recognition, given our salary in defense of other positions of the same level in the GDF. We are in an arduous struggle to change this reality that haunts us”, she said.