Knoxville,IA: "Student mental health concerns are the most extreme [teacher's] seen in 30 years"

Nov 29, 2017, Knoxville (IA) Journal Express: Mental health, parental roles dominate school talks http://www.journalexpress.net/news/mental-health-parental-roles-dominate-school-talks/article_af4d402a-d552-11e7-809e-4758d56da6ad.html Bus drivers, teachers, maintenance staff and principals rubbed elbows and shared insights Monday night as the Knoxville School Board continued to explore better ways to serve students. The board heard from 30 district employees during two separate listening sessions, but the key themes were common: mental health, parental involvement and preparing students for success beyond graduation. Shawn Helle, who teaches second grade at West Elementary, told the board that student mental health concerns are the most extreme she’s seen in her 30-year career. Helle teaches students who are in counseling or have been hospitalized for mental health issues as well as those whose parents are in prison or are dealing with addiction, she said. “We weren’t trained to deal with some of these really extreme behaviors,” she said. “It’s not uncommon for me to have a student that will just leave the classroom or sometimes leave the building.” Mental health concerns must be addressed earlier, said Principal John Keitges, who sees many needs among the third, fourth and fifth graders at Northstar Elementary. Schools need more support for at-risk elementary students and their families, he said. … Mental health struggles emerge every day at Knoxville High School, said assistant principal Ryan Klein. “The world that I live in, it is every day, multiple times a day. It ranges from severe to minor, but it is in your face. You see it every single day, most of the day.” “We need help,” he said, “that’s just the way it is.” Linda Abbott, principal at West, suggested that hiring a behavioral interventionist could help students with greater needs. …