The New Homework: Prioritizing Mental Health in Education

According to NPR, “1 in four students missed 10% of the academic school year” due to struggles with mental health. Statistics have proven over and over again that a student’s mental health and well-being drastically impact their school performance. As today’s younger generation has experienced some of the most chaotic of events in the past four or so years, from circumstances of COVID-19 to the endless harrowing fear of school shootings that still haunt our school hallways today, children’s mental health is at risk every day. 

The city of Boulder is no stranger to mass shootings, as the senseless tragedy of the King Soopers shooting that occurred on March 22, 2021, claiming the lives of 10 people, still stands as a firm reminder of the need for stringent gun reform laws.

The worry inevitably extends to schools and universities across the county, which are at risk daily. Parents and guardians sending their children to school carry endless concerns and fears for their children’s well-being and safety. Many parents wonder what the Boulder Valley School District is doing to ensure their students’ physical and emotional safety is their top concern. The bigger question is, how do these students feel when they attend their classes? The everyday reality of anticipating the worst outcome and being reminded of it through the use of gun safety drills can be emotionally draining to a lot of students. 

Unfortunately, in today’s world, students must understand how to respond to an emergency, such as a school shooting, but using these precautions can ensure the protection and safety of many lives. These gun safety drills help students practice for real-life emergencies if a senseless tragedy occurs. 

Another prominent method that BVSD has been working on is partnering with law enforcement by offering their buildings for multi-jurisdictional exercises. This is intended to help law enforcement familiarize themselves with the different school districts as well as the design of their buildings and help them understand how to react to specific and immediate situations across the campuses. These officers ensure that they practice the best safety methods for responding to an active shooter. 

An article published in September by a student intern at the Communications department at the Boulder Valley School District detailed the active shooting scenario training at these buildings during the summer before the start of the fall sessions. She discusses the dedication that the BVSD has committed to ensuring that school shooting drills are taken seriously, training seasoned officers who would be prepared for an emergency like this.

“As part of their training, emergency responders run into a school they knew had a threat inside and risk their own lives.” The student illuminates detail after detail how the police reacted to a scenario, “There was an order for who would show up to the school first; in this scenario, it was a park ranger and two police officers. Following them were more police officers and firefighters and swat.”

 

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There is an organized student and staff training that is also being administered through many classrooms which follows two protocols: secure and all clear. Students translate “secure” as a reaction to danger outside, which requires students and staff to stay inside classrooms and lock doors at all times. Students and staff remain in their classrooms until the “all clear” is announced by law enforcement, which would signify that the danger has been neutralized. 

There has been lots of conversation and debate about how school safety drills should be administered and how traumatic they are to many students who don’t want to think about the possibility of enduring such a horrifying experience. While the immense need for school shooting drills is dark, ensuring that law enforcement is on hand and thoroughly trained to respond to these scenarios is very calming for a lot of students who may struggle with those internal fears. 

Anxiety and depression are constantly increasing throughout high school. The Mission of Harbor and Behavioral Health says that “By 18, up to 15%” of teens experience anxiety. Many of these cases are linked to environmental stressors. This can include an uncomfortable and intense environment for a student who may not feel comfortable when attending school. According to a Pew Research survey, 57% of students have expressed worry and fear about attending school due to the possibility of a school shooting. 

The Boulder Valley School District emphasizes the fact that school security is a major layer of their security force. But what options can students take to navigate these fears and traumas that are inevitable at this point?

One prominent resource option for many students struggling with mental health in school facilities is the use of wellness centers. Monarch High School had the first wellness center established in the Boulder Valley School District in 2022. 

There has now been an array of school districts like Monarch High School dedicated to providing spaces to ensure the health and wellness of students. These districts include, but are not limited to, Monarch High, Boulder High, Fairview High, Centaurus High, Nederland Middle-Senior, and New Vista High. The space is intended to be a calm and safe area for students to ease their stress, talk about their anxiety, relax, confide in a mental health professional or counselor, and a way for them to get involved with sensory activities. The use of sensory activities helps a student fall back into their awareness, easing their fears and worries. Many students report that these wellness centers have really helped them during many difficult periods throughout high school. 

When going on the BVSD website, students rave about the amazing results they’ve seen with the presence of the wellness centers in their schools. One mental health advocate says, “It feels special to me. They are torn between telling everyone how awesome it feels to relax in the room and wanting to keep it a secret.” It’s the perfect place for students to just have a moment for themselves.

Another important factor is for students to have access to Mental Health professionals who can provide them with a space for them to express their conflicting feelings and find solutions. These mental health professionals are intended to help students by providing them with social, behavioral, and mental growth, providing a safe space for them to navigate their experiences throughout their high school career. A great extended benefit is these mental health professionals are also intended to provide external resources for families to help them navigate and understand their child’s mental health. 

While mental health professionals focus on behavioral health, school counselors can also be of benefit, as they can help students with their individual growth as well as their learning capabilities in school. If a child is struggling with a class or with maintaining good grades in general, there are sources provided that can help them get back on track, and mental health is the place to start. These professionals also encourage them to join student groups as a way to immerse themselves more in school activities and find a community for themselves. 

Health Partners are another great mental health resource, intended to provide crisis intervention as well as cooperation with families and parents by providing them with imminent resources for their child’s needs. Health partners are a great resource for really difficult situations where short-term counseling can be provided to help your child get back on track. 

Boulder Valley School District is also heavily dedicated to online mental health resources that can provide quick services, such as 7 Cups, an online anonymous therapy support hotline that provides personalized chat rooms and a space for students to talk their feelings out with support right at their fingertips.

If a child is in need of psychiatric help, BCH (Boulder Community Health) is a service provided by the Boulder Valley School District with a focus more on inpatient behavioral health as well as psychiatric evaluations and treatment. The service also offers a treatment facility by the name of Della Cava Family Medical Pavilion for students in need. 

Drug use is also prevalent among many teenagers with depression and anxiety. NAMI Boulder County is the perfect resource for students and teenagers who are battling with drug use. They provide drug-use programs, support groups, as well as resources for families and teens battling struggling with drug use. 

Following the pandemic, students took a while to adjust to coming back to in-person classes. Getting used to staying home and doing remote work quickly became the norm, and students had to figure out a way to adjust to it just as quickly.

COVID caused constant disruptions for many students’ learning, so in order to bring back students’ focus, many Boulder districts have turned to specific learning models, such as personalized learning models. This is a type of learning mechanism that focuses solely on individual needs. It is a dynamic technique that is able to focus on multiple individualistic learning techniques and styles that benefit students who may have had learning disruptions or may have an inability to stay focused. This has led to a lack of motivation to want to attend class to begin with. 

The Boulder Valley School District was noticing the lack of attendance from many students post-COVID, as many were still accustomed to the “remote life-style” that COVID pushed us into. The BVSD took absenteeism very seriously and wanted to really dive into the root of the cause of why students were increasingly becoming absent from classes. A great worry amongst parents and families is the lack of attendance from their students, who may fear attending school due to environmental stressors, lack of motivation, early stages of anxiety or depression, or bullying. 

Another great resource option that the Boulder Valley School District has taken initiative with is the use of attendance advocates who not only ensure that students are attending classes but also check in on their mental health and ensure that they have the right resources that are accessible to them. Following increases in anxiety and depression, more students are lacking the motivation to attend school.

Developing a strong relationship with an attendance advocate can help students have that resource when they feel they need a day to stay home and recharge or a moment to work on their mental health if they aren’t feeling like attending school that day. At the same time, it emphasizes the importance of attending classes for an end result of success, as graduation is the ultimate goal for all of these students. 

These resources are provided to elementary school students and middle school students as well. Mental health professionals and counselors are individually provided to help with each of your child’s needs. If you’re a parent in this district, the Boulder Valley School District’s website discusses many topics and themes that you or your child may experience. It helps provide the appropriate sources to help families navigate through difficult times. If you or your child is struggling with any of the listed things, ensure that you are reaching out to a mental health professional to better sustain your child’s needs. 

The Boulder Valley School District has proven how fruitful it is when it comes to its mental health options throughout every district. As parents, the most important thing is to ensure that you are having these conversations with your children at home. Check-in on them and see how they feel. Ensure that you are tuning into current events at their schools.

Attend their events and ensure that you develop relationships with their educators and mental health professionals who can provide greater insight into their wants and needs, especially at home. It is essential to use these mental health options when necessary to ensure that the stability of your child’s mental health is maintained as much as it can be throughout their high school career. 

The Boulder Valley District contains a vast list of resources for you and your child on its website. If your child is experiencing a mental health crisis, call 1-844-493-TALK