Oct 25, 2018, Westminster, MD, Carroll County Times: Mental health, student achievement focus at Carroll County school board candidate forum http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/education/cc-sga-boe-forum-20181024-story.html On the eve of the start of early voting, candidates for the Carroll County Public Schools Board of Education tackled eight questions from a group made up of those who can’t even vote yet — its student base. Candidates — five of six of whom were in attendance — expressed their views on topics from mental health and school safety to student expression and student preparedness…. School safety and mental health A quarter of the questions asked Wednesday related to either student safety or mental health — especially in terms of anxiety — and the impact on kids in CCPS. Many of the candidates spoke about wraparound services in the schools, though Battaglia also talked about the importance of mindfulness activities. “Mindfulness does help with the anxiety our students are having,” she said. Having holistic approaches — like breathing techniques or yoga — help, and they are resources that are free…. And, he said, there needs to be professional development for teachers and instructional assistants to help students as well. “When kids are distracted … it’s just impossible for them to learn,” he said…. He said the school system needs to bring in behavioral specialists, crisis counselors, psychologists and others who can help. … Dorsey also put a call out for school counselors, psychologists and behavioral supports, citing a recent presentation to the school board about Elmer Wolfe and Taneytown elementary schools who have full-time psychologists, which has dramatically helped with student behavior. “They can help students to deescalate and get a handle on their feelings and make appropriate choices,” she added. …
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Childhood Lost
Children today are noticeably different from previous generations, and the proof is in the news coverage we see every day. This site shows you what’s happening in schools around the world. Children are increasingly disabled and chronically ill, and the education system has to accommodate them. Things we've long associated with autism, like sensory issues, repetitive behaviors, anxiety and lack of social skills, are now problems affecting mainstream students. Blame is predictably placed on bad parenting (otherwise known as trauma from home).
Addressing mental health needs is as important as academics for modern educators. This is an unrecognized disaster. The stories here are about children who can’t learn or behave like children have always been expected to. What childhood has become is a chilling portent for the future of mankind.
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
What will happen in another 4 years? How can we go on like this? This is a national (and international) problem of monumental proportions. We have an entire new class of children who cannot be accommodated by the system: many are manifestly neurologically impaired. Meanwhile, the government and the medical profession sleep on regardless.
John Stone,
UK media editor, Age of Autism
The generation of American children born after 1990 are arguably the sickest generation in the history of our country.
Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.
It seemed to me that with rising autism prevalence, you’d also see rising autism costs to society, and it turns out, the costs are catastrophic.
They calculated that in 2015 autism cost the United States $268 billion and they projected that if autism continues at its current rate, we’re looking at one trillion dollars a year in autism costs by 2025, so within five years.
Toby Rogers, PhD, Political economist
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