School tip lines meant to stop mass shootings are receiving far more reports about students considering suicide and other forms of self-harm, according to reports in several states.
Many health experts are cautious about laying blame when tragedies occur. But most specialists agree that school personnel, in contact with students for a large part of the day, can be a key resource in providing help.
Numerous districts are the subject of transgender lawsuits for not allowing transgender students to use bathrooms that correspond to their gender identity.
Districts are offering signing bonuses, filling gaps with social workers and counselors, training teachers to spot signs of distress, and developing intervention teams.
Restorative justice in schools is a growing trend as administrators look to build relationships with students and school staff rather than use out of school suspensions—which can lead to incarceration.
Some 98,000 immigrant students graduate from high school each year, but the U.S. Supreme Court may be on the verge of ending the program that allows them to study and work.
The first statewide law requiring later school start times has been passed in California. Middle schools can start at 8 a.m., and high schools at 8:30 a.m.
