By Lori EhdeIn order for teachers to recertify their licenses, the state of Minnesota is requiring training in student mental health."I think the reason this has come as a requirement from the state is that so many of our kids are coming to school carrying so much baggage," said elementary music teacher Beth Capistran.Capistran is on the staff development committee that organized a teacher inservice day for Luverne, Pipestone and Edgerton districts on the topic of student mental health."As teachers we may see those kids for more time out of the day than the parents do," Capistran said. "We need to recognize the signs of different mental health symptoms in order to help children and help parents in giving options for the child."More than 400 people — most of them educators — are expected to attend the "Children's Mental Health" learning day in Luverne Monday. Speakers are from Luverne, Minneapolis, Sioux Falls and Mankato.According to school psychologist Renee Guy, depression is becoming more common among children, and school staff isn’t as likely to recognize that ailment as they are other disorders, like autism, attention deficit or retardation."Research has shown students have been under-diagnosed with child depression," Guy said. "We've been trained to recognize learning disabilities, and we've been trained to recognize academic disabilities. Now we're focusing on social and emotional well-being."She said mental health diagnoses are important in all areas of education. "We know they do interfere with learning, and when they do, we need to intervene."Mental health training will enable teachers to be more for their students."Teachers are not there just to teach anymore," Capistran said. "Teachers wear many different hats. They are educators, counselors, and sometimes parents, caregivers and someone that the students can trust to go to when they have a problem. Sometimes the teacher is the only adult a child may get attention from that day."The bottom line, she said, is that teachers need to better understand their students' emotional needs in order to meet their educational needs. "In order for students to learn, they need to be well — physically and mentally."Middle school and high school guidance counselor Craig Nelson helped organize professional speakers for the day."Educators are in a good position to see kids to know how they act, and if they recognize a need in an individual student, they need to be able to refer a kid who might need help," Nelson said. "Children can have a variety of problems that may affect their school performance. Hopefully we can make their lives better, to help them get a good education, to live the kind of life we'd want for anyone."He said it behooves teachers to recognize potential problems before they undermine performance in the classroom."It takes a whole lot of people working together to try to solve these problems," Nelson said. "I think Luverne has been progressive in trying to meet the needs of students."Anyone can register to attend Monday's event. Call Community Education, 283-4724, for information.