The expanding responsibilities of school principals in 2025 took center stage during a roundtable discussion titled “Beyond the Classroom: Leading for Health, Safety, and Tech Balance,” as part of National Principals Month.
Hosted jointly by the American Federation of School Administrators (AFSA), the National Association of Elementary School Principals (NAESP), and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), the policy briefing explored how school leaders are navigating growing demands—from supporting student and staff wellness to ensuring campus safety and managing emerging technologies, including artificial intelligence and student cell-phone use.
In his opening remarks, NAESP Executive Director L. Earl Franks emphasized that principals are shouldering more than ever — from overseeing student and staff mental health to ensuring physical safety and managing new technology realities. “Our school leaders need more than encouragement … they need tangible resources, clear guidance, and policies designed with the realities of school leadership in mind,” Franks said.
AFSA President Mark Cannizzaro, who moderated the discussion, added that the goal of the briefing was to lift up the real stories behind the statistics. “Principals are doing extraordinary work under extraordinary pressure,” Cannizzaro said. “They’re managing everything from student well-being and safety to technology and staffing crises, often without the resources or support they need. This briefing was about making sure policymakers truly understand what it takes to lead a school today — and to back that understanding with action.”
Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis (R–N.Y.), who represents Staten Island and Brooklyn, sent greetings to the principals gathered in Washington and offered a heartfelt reflection on the lifelong influence of school leaders.
“I want to extend my greetings to everyone gathered today and to thank all the principals and administrators in the room,” Malliotakis said. “You play such a tremendous role in the development of our youth. To this day, I still remember my principals and the impact they had on my life. My very first principal at P.S. 53 was Mr. Anarumo — I still see him from time to time around the district — and Ms. Gabara, who was the principal at New Dorp High School when I was there. Sadly, we lost her recently, but I can’t express how influential she was in my life. She was a true mentor and someone I really looked up to and admired, and she had a profound impact on me.
“So I want to say thank you to all the principals and educators for the work you do each and every day. Young people across our country rely on you, they look up to you, they admire you — and believe me, they never really forget you, no matter how many years or decades go by. Thank you, and happy National Principals Month.”
During the panel discussion, three principals shared how federal funding streams such as Title I, Title II, Title IV, IDEA, and Perkins support critical work in their schools—from professional development to mental-health services to career programs.
In rural Wyoming, Superintendent/Principal Chase Christensen described how his district of 80 students spans 60 miles and relies on funding to pay a full-time data/intervention staffer, mental-health support via IDEA, and career equipment through Perkins. In urban Columbus, Ohio, Principal April Knight leads a pre-K-5 school of 240 students, 45 with significant disabilities, detailing her dependency on Title I for interventions, Title II for restorative and trauma-informed practices, and Medicaid-billable support services allied with IDEA. In suburban Maryland, Principal James Ulrich described his magnet middle school serving 850 students; his school uses Title II funds for teacher development in restorative, community-building practices.
Yet the discussion made clear that funding alone is not sufficient — finding qualified personnel, translating policy into action, and designing realistic, locally relevant guidance remain serious hurdles.
Mental-health supports dominated the conversation. Franks and Cannizzaro highlighted troubling data: students across the country are reporting persistent sadness, hopelessness, and serious suicidal thoughts, while a survey of school leaders found 73% reported struggling with their own mental or emotional health.
Christensen described the isolation of leadership in a rural context: “We are meant to be the leader, we are supposed to have all the answers, and often when we do have somebody that we need to talk to … it requires going outside of our building.” He advocated for virtual support programs for principals and staff and cautioned that even when state legislatures commit to adding school-counselor positions, “finding the people to fill a position when those are created is going to be almost impossible.” His district has leveraged a federal SAMHSA-funded Project AWARE grant to bring clinicians to students — but emphasized the urgency of immediate access, noting that some community-based providers are “weeks out.”
Knight explained how her district partners with agencies including Nationwide Children’s Hospital, Buckeye Ranch, and Directions for Youth to bring six clinicians into her building — one full-time and five part-time — to support students and families. “Any cut to that funding, there’s a significant loss that we would experience,” she said.
Cannizzaro added that it’s not only students who need care — it’s the leaders themselves. “Every day, principals are holding their schools together — guiding teachers, supporting students, and responding to crises big and small,” he said. “This conversation reminded us that if we want thriving schools, we must start by taking care of the people leading them.”
The panel also took up two hot-button topics: student cell-phone use and the growing impact of artificial intelligence.
Ulrich said his district banned phones entirely for elementary and middle school students during the school day, allowing use only on the bus or before and after school. “We still are able to teach kids how to use [technology] responsibly … but I don’t miss them within the building,” he said. National data support this trend: 77% of public schools prohibit cell-phone use during class, and over half of school leaders report negative impacts on academic performance, mental health, and attention spans. Experts caution, however, that implementation is key — bans alone aren’t enough without clear communication, stakeholder buy-in, and robust alternate supports.
On AI, Christensen said he uses tools like ChatGPT and Google Notebook LM as personal decision-making assistants and encourages teachers to use them for lesson planning. “If we’re going to hold ourselves to a standard … we need to be assisting our students in learning how best to utilize AI … the standard at which I expect you to perform is also going to increase,” he said. Ulrich agreed that AI won’t replace teachers but will change how teaching is done, requiring new types of student work, teacher development, and policy attention.
Cannizzaro said the rise of AI and cell-phone dependency both highlight the same reality — the expanding responsibilities of school leaders. “We can’t just keep thanking principals — we have to start backing them up,” he said. “School leaders need time, staff, and funding to meet the growing demands of their jobs. That means federal and state policymakers must invest in principal pipelines, mental-health supports, and safer schools so leaders can focus on what matters most — educating kids.”
In his closing remarks, NASSP Executive Director Ronn Nozoe reminded attendees that school leadership is one of the most impactful levers in K-12 education — and yet often under-appreciated. “Please involve the folks who are doing this work every day,” he said. “If you’re not surrounding yourself with a group of principals … you are missing out.”
As schools navigate overlapping crises — mental health, safety, technology, and instructional quality — the message from this briefing was clear: principals cannot go it alone. They need not just recognition, but structured supports, strategic funding, and policies shaped by those who live the day-to-day reality of running schools.
