- #Schools around the country are reporting an increase in #student #violence, some targeting #teachers.
- Educators told Insider it’s likely linked to #mentalhealthissues that worsened over the #pandemic.
- One counselor said #students are showing symptoms of #PTSD with #depression rates “through the roof.”
At a Florida middle #school, 87 #students have gotten in physical fights since #school began last month.
At an Illinois high #school, 70 #students have been suspended for violent altercations, the superintendent said.
At a New York high #school, two #students were cut during an altercation, causing #parents to demand more safety agents.
At a Kentucky lower #school, a counselor said she has assessed 26 #students ages eight through 10 for #suicide risk since May.
#JamesDonaldson notes:
Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.
Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.
Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space. #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticle
And it’s only October.
“We just confiscated a gun from a 10-year-old,” Anna Fusco, president of the Broward #Teachers Union in Florida, told Insider.
“First-graders slapped a #teacher in the face, second-graders slapped a #teacher in the face, middle schoolers corralled around a #teacher and shoved her,” she said. “Every single day I get a story from an educator.”
On Friday, the nation’s largest #teachers union said #socialmedia has “helped create a culture of fear and #violence with educators as targets,” in a letter addressed to Facebook, TikTok, and Twitter that was shared with The Wall Street Journal.
Union leaders referenced the “devious lick” challenge that led #students to vandalize and steal #school property, as well as the “slap a teacher” challenge. TikTok removed hashtags and content related to devious lick in September.
#School staff members across the country told Insider they are seeing surges in #student outbursts, from vandalism and verbal altercations to gun violence and slashing.
Fusco said #teachers have been trained on “how to handle a shooter when he comes in,” but not on preventing #violence long-term.
“All our districts care about is getting the curriculum, pounding on the academics,” she told Insider. “There’s nowhere near the level of training that can really make a vast difference in a #student.”
Now, #school #counselors are sounding the alarm on what they believe to be a main driver behind the #violence: #student #mentalhealth.
“The number of #suicide threats in my own #school has skyrocketed since #COVID,” Amy Riley, a #school #counselor at Mercer County Intermediate #School in Kentucky, told state lawmakers on Tuesday. “Just this morning, I had to do a #suicide risk assessment on a 9-year-old in my #school before I came to this hearing today.”
Riley told Insider that she’s assessed 26 #students ages eight through 10 for #suicide risk since May, many of whom were then hospitalized or enrolled in therapy.
Before the #pandemic, she said she would only have one or two #suicide assessments a month. Now she sees two or three #students every day.
Even still, Riley said she feels lucky, since many rural #schools in Kentucky have just one #counselor, and some have none at all. Including Riley, she said, Mercer County has a total of three.
“At least they were in #school and we were able to talk to them and get them the help that they needed,” she said. “What we are finding is that a lot of the symptoms of #PTSD … are being mirrored in our #students who are going through this #pandemic.”
TaRael Kee, an assistant principal at Collinsville High #School in Illinois, told Insider that there has been a “significant increase” in both #student #violence and #student #mentalhealthissues across the state.
Kee said they’ve doubled the number of #school #counselors since he started. Despite the additional hires, he said #teachers are constantly struggling with #students’ emotional challenges, contributing to burnout and low morale.
“Some of our staff members are almost in a state of crisis themselves,” he said.
To prevent #students from resorting to #violence as a result of poor #mentalhealth, Fusco said schools need more trained staff.
“What’s most needed is bodies,” she said. “People that are properly trained to take on this extra toll of the #students with social-emotional situations.”
“But if you don’t have the funding for it, then you can’t do it,” she added. “And that’s one of the biggest problems.”
James Donaldson is a Washington State University graduate (’79). After an outstanding basketball career with WSU, he went on to play professional basketball in the NBA with the Seattle Supersonics, San Diego/L.A. Clippers, Dallas Mavericks, New York Knicks, and Utah Jazz. He also played for several teams in the European Leagues in Spain, Italy, and Greece, and he toured with The Harlem Globetrotters to wrap up his career. James was an NBA All-Star in 1988 while playing center for the Dallas Mavericks. In 2006, James was inducted into the Pac-10 Sports Hall of Fame and also the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame. In 2010, James was elected as a board member for the NBA Retired Players Association.
James frequently conducts speaking engagements (motivational, inspirational, educational) for organizations, schools, and youth groups.
In 2010, James was the recipient of the NBA Legends of Basketball ABC Award, awarded for outstanding contributions in Athletics–Business–Community.
He believes in being a role model for success and professionalism to the scores of young people to whom he devotes so much of his time. He currently serves on several boards and committees and is a member of many organizations.
James believes in developing relationships that create a “Win-Win” environment for everyone involved, and in being the best he can be!
For more information about James Donaldson or to request he speak at your event, contact him at:
www.StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
JamesD@StandingAboveTheCrowd.com
1-800-745-3161 (voicemail & fax)
James Donaldson is the author of “Standing Above The Crowd” and “Celebrating Your Gift of Life” and founder of the Your Gift of Life Foundation which focuses on mental health awareness and suicide prevention, especially pertaining to our school aged children and men.
If you’re interested in having James come and speak to your group of young adults, business entrepreneurs, aspiring political and community leaders, and athletic teams, please contact him at jamesd@yourgiftoflife.org and or leave a personal message for him at 1-800-745-3161. Keep up with him and read about how he is reaching out and making a difference in the lives of so many around the world at www.yourgiftoflife.org
