Feb 15, 2018, Baltimore Sun: Pressure points: Howard County schools look to address mounting mental health concerns http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/howard/columbia/ph-ho-cf-social-workers-0215-story.html … Martirano’s budget proposal for next year includes three additional social workers to support students in need and more funding requests are planned in the years ahead. The budget proposal is one of several actions the school system is taking to address mental health needs among students throughout the county. “If any child is hurting, we need to respond with urgency. And I’m seeing that, symptomatically, you now where we’ve had challenges this year with our students,” Martirano said. “From my vantage point, I’m seeing an increased level of emotional concerns, mental health issues in our schools. I want to take the lead in that and begin to provide a social worker to be somebody who can navigate for children who are in crisis.” … While some stress can be beneficial to motivate students to work hard, Alvord said if the stress begins to interfere with sleep, work or eating habits, then it’s gone too far.
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.