School systems must provide help for students in need of mental-health services. But Washington County school officials believe a new education measure goes too far, requiring school districts to ensure services that they normally don't provide, including child care, housing referrals, crisis intervention, substance-abuse prevention and treatment, and legal aid.
Many school districts have morphed from education centers into community centers, providing medical care, housing assistance, free meals and other social services.
For the second year in a row, the growing mental health needs of young people topped the priorities of the nearly 340 district leaders who participated in DA's annual Outlook Survey.
School violence and teacher strikes dominated education news during 2018. But last year also saw empowered students voicing their frustrations: Youth activism surged around gun control, safer schools, immigration, voting and LGBTQ issues.
By relying on abstract examples and simplistic advice like “be kind,” bullying prevention campaigns frequently exclude the most common and severe forms of bullying. What most bullying prevention efforts fail to mention is that the most severe and pervasive cases of bullying are actually instances of identity-based harassment and violence. Bullying prevention campaigns and policies […]
We need more school staff trained extensively on the observable signs of trauma and schools with more direct mental health services and more appropriate disciplinary approaches. Collaborative systemic partnerships forged between schools and social-service community agencies also help. Then staff can cultivate a broader sense of trust with their students. A 12-year-old boy has witnessed […]
I read recently that experts in any field do not often make the best teachers. It was the opposite of the old “those who can’t do, teach” and the writer, Adam Grant in the New York Times, was suggesting that, often, “those who can do, can’t teach.” That took me back to April 1972, when […]
After a shooting, a district’s typical insurance policies may not cover victim lawsuits, building repairs, medical expenses, funeral services or trauma counseling. Recent attacks in Florida and Texas have driven interest in specialized policies that prevent costs from piling up after a crisis. While it is not known how many schools have purchased this type […]
