Bill Casey, chair of the Physical Education Department at Illinois’ Neuqua Valley High School, one of the 20 schools to pilot the program, says integrating SEL in physical education has prompted students to advocate for their own mental health and the emotional wellbeing of their peers.
“We’ve had several students reach out to teachers to share their mental health struggles and ask for help,” Casey said. But he pointed out threading SEL in the curriculum required correct timing, as well as teacher and parent buy-in.
