Mar 22, 2018, Fergus Falls (MN) Journal: Health professionals: School safety includes us https://www.fergusfallsjournal.com/2018/03/health-professionals-school-safety-includes-us/ … Many students say gun restrictions can help keep them safer in schools, but the Minnesota legislative conversation on safe schools has broadened to other issues, some of which bring tears when people talk about them. “We are facing a public health crisis,” Carol Quinn told the state House Education Finance Committee Wednesday, March 21, with tear-filled eyes. The Minneapolis Public Schools social worker said more people like her, counselors, psychologists and other professionals can help students facing mental health problems find help before they take guns into schools. … “School social workers prevent the unimaginable from happening,” Quinn said. She was one of a series of testifiers who spelled out their professions’ contributions to school safety. … “I think we will make a significant dent in this problem,” Loon said after listening to emotional testimony, in many cases from people who work with students with mental illness issues. “We probably need to put some money behind these ideas,” she added, as well as giving schools the ability to raise more money locally and give them more flexibility in how to improve safety. … Much of the discussion centered on mental health issues. Blaire Hartley of Minneapolis told of her 18-year-old daughter, who as a freshman suddenly became depressed, causing her to miss a year of school. Anxiety still steals much of the girl’s time, Hartley said…. Professionals of all types said there are not enough of them in schools. For instance, a nurse said school districts facing tight budgets are eliminating nurse positions. … Red Wing Police Chief Roger Pohlman talked about his department’s efforts to put police, known as school resource officers, in schools. …
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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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