President’s Letter: Addressing School Safety

With the recent school tragedy in Parkland, Fla., many have chosen to focus on political talking points such as gun control, increased school security or hardening of our schools, and lack of mental health services. We can fully debate these topics but perhaps it’s more appropriate to discuss what school counselors can do to assist in the safety of our students. School districts across our state have been experiencing the contagion that often follows such a horrific even – my school is no exception. However, it also provided school districts a chance to further discuss realistic prevention and intervention measures.
 
Some discussion points:

• Does your school district have a threat assessment team complete with participants from law enforcement, medical mental health professions, school counselors, teachers and administrators? This team is designed to address concerns regarding a student’s behavior, determine merit and develop necessary intervention strategies.
• Does your county have an active 1184 team? State statute requires each county develop a team with the purpose of fostering open communication between designees of school districts, law enforcement, probation, Health and Human Services and the county attorney’s office. Discussion centers around those families and children who have entered (or could potentially be entering) the system. Do you attend the monthly meetings? Are they attended by OJS, HHS, law enforcement and – more important – a county attorney designee?
• Do you have a student assistance program in place? Some method by which children understand when and how to report someone of concern to them? Although the “snitches need stitches” mentality is constantly promoted through music lyrics, video games and movies, our children some way to voice their concerns to a responsible adult.
• Does your school district provide an adequate number of school counselors for the students it serves? School counselors work tirelessly to promote a strong, positive, and consistent culture. They strive to make social/emotional connections with each and every child. That’s a task when 400 students are assigned to one counselor . ASCA’s stated ratio of 250 to 1 is reasonable. If your school district is not working to reach that number, you must ask why.
• Let’s face it, adolescent mental health resources are woefully inadequate in our state. The situation is especially acute in central and western Nebraska. Residential treatment programs, where students have an opportunity to mend and learn while in a controlled environment, have been dramatically reduced. The state’s decision to create more community-based resources has not come to fruition, leaving families (and school counselors) in a precarious situation. Does your school district have family resources readily available? If not, what can be done to remedy the problem?

The political posturing and noise around such tragic events make it difficult to focus on strategies that can be realistically and immediately placed in motion. I hope your school district will take time and reflect on some of the listed discussion points. I know our ultimate goal is to advocate for the safety and welfare for all children.
 
Contact NSCA president Jerry Wiggins at jerry.wiggins@goswedes.org or nscapresident@gmail.com