DAYTON, OH — An exclusive 5 On Your Side investigation has uncovered an alarming lack of school psychologists in the wake of the deadly Dayton shooting where the gunman kept a "hit list" of high school classmates he allegedly threatened to kill.
Connor S. Betts, 24, was shot and killed by police after allegedly launching a deadly rampage in a popular Dayton nightspot.
Bellbrook High School officials, near Dayton, released a school record confirming Betts graduated in 2013, but declined to release details of whether Betts received any mental health assistance while in school--despite fellow classmates detailing a "hit list" of intended victims and a "bully toward women".
The allegations surfaced in social media tweets by numerous classmates who insisted "his violence was simply ignored".
Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Local Schools Superintendent Douglass A. Cozad declined to provide any details of the school's possible mental health assistance, but our independent investigation uncovered a dismal picture of mental health services for high school students.
According to data released by the Ohio Department of Education, there are only 220 licensed psychologists serving in Ohio's 3,500 public high schools.
At the same time, the Ohio Association of School Psychologists warns of a "shortage of school psychologists" that is leading to "insufficient behavioral health services " to students across Ohio.
