Sept 17, 2018, MyAKLAMISS.com, West Monroe, LA: Monroe City Schools among 34 to receive $9M grant to prevent youth violence https://www.myarklamiss.com/news/local-news/monroe-city-schools-among-34-to-receive-9m-grant-to-prevent-youth-violence/1453963515 The Louisiana Department of Education today announced the state is the recipient of a $9 million grant to expand mental health services to students to support health development and prevent youth violence. Louisiana has been awarded the Project Advancing Wellness and Resilience Education (Project AWARE) grant through the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. "In order to truly serve every child, every day, we must understand and meet their learning needs, as well as their social and emotional needs," said State Superintendent John White. "Through Project AWARE, Louisiana has the opportunity to develop and implement practices to better accomplish this in struggling schools across the state." The competitive grant program will award $1.8 million to Louisiana each year for five years. The Department, in partnership with the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH), will utilize this funding to establish a comprehensive Louisiana School Mental Health Support Program. The multi-faceted program aligns to the mission of Project AWARE and aims to increase awareness of mental health issues among school-aged youth, to provide specialized training to school personnel on how to detect and respond to mental health issues, and to connect students struggling with behavioral or mental health issues and their families to the appropriate services. "The 2016 Louisiana Caring Communities Youth Survey reveals the need for mental health treatment in the schools, as it reflects an increase in need in each grade level from 6th to 12th. The largest change occurred in Grade 12, reflecting an increase in mental health needs from 21.7 percent in 2014 to 24.7 percent in 2016," said Deputy Assistant Secretary Dr. Janice Petersen, who oversees community programs within LDH's Office of Behavioral Health. … "Officials in healthcare, law enforcement, and education are keenly aware of the severe mental health challenges facing us today," said Jefferson Parish Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Cade Brumley. "The support from this grant will complement our work to meet the varied and diverse needs of our students, placing them in a safe mental space for learning." …
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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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