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K-12 Dive
Report: K-12 schools saw 66% jump in overall safety incidents in fall
Naaz Modan
Jan. 28, 2021
Dive Brief:
K-12 schools saw a 66% jump in the number of overall safety incidents
during the first three months of the 2020-21 school year when compared
to the same time last school year, according to a report from Gaggle, a
security management system used by districts to monitor student
activity, that pulled data from 4.5 million students and 3 billion
items within school accounts.
Specifically, the increases were spread across four kinds of incidents:
suicide and self harm (83%), violence toward others (63%), nudity and
sexual content (135%), and drugs and alcohol (59%).
Elementary school students are increasingly contributing to the number
of incidents compared to 2019-2020, which the report says highlights
the need for districts to include K-5 students in their school safety
initiatives.
Dive Insight:
Shortly after schools closed in March, district leaders and
social-emotional learning experts raised concerns about the increasing
levels of trauma, stress, anxiety, depression and other mental health
issues among students. The result was an uptick in interest in SEL
programs and investing in support roles like school psychologists and
counselors.
"The rise in stress, anxiety and other mental health issues calls on
all of us to play close attention to young people's social and
emotional well-being," said Justina Schlund, the senior director of
content and field learning for the Collaborative for Academic, Social
and Emotional Learning, in an email.
In some cases, districts are not only dealing with increasing mental
health concerns related to the pandemic, but are also having to address
a variety of other stressors like social and political strife including
the Capitol riots, wildfires on the West Coast, and the police-involved
deaths of Black Americans.
Last year, there was also a noticeable dip in child maltreatment
reports after educators lost contact with many students. Stressful or
unsafe home environments are also conditions educators must address,
sometimes remotely or in hybrid learning models.
Throughout the pandemic, and regardless of the availability or, in some
cases, lack of psychologists and counselors, schools have emphasized
relationship-building with students and their families. Even though
remote and hybrid learning models challenged schools' dependence on
in-person interactions to nurture relationships and keep schools safe,
educators are continuing their efforts online.
"When we talk about safe schools, we need to make sure that all
students are in learning environments — whether virtually or in-person
— where they feel heard and understood, feel like they belong and have
opportunities to learning about and connect to the world around them,"
said Schlund.
Wellness days, regular check-ins, using trauma-informed practices,
putting in place trainings and professional development related to
trauma, intentionally developing action plans, and regularly
communicating with families are all among strategies districts are
adopting.
Perhaps as a result of this concerted effort, a YouthTruth survey shows
students' perceptions of relationships with their teachers are stronger
now than before the pandemic.
In addition to providing trauma and mental health supports, Schlund
said students should also have consistent opportunities to learn and
practice social and emotional competencies that help them process their
emotions, handle stress, show empathy, build healthy relationships and
develop strategies for problem resolution.
The need to strengthen whole-child approaches has been highlighted at
the federal level, as well. More investment in school mental health
services has been recognized in previously passed and also proposed
COVID-19 relief packages, President Joe Biden's executive orders and
his strategy for responding to the pandemic.
Read this and other stories at K-12 Dive
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