Oct 14, 2018, Westminster, MD, Carroll County Times: With Safe to Learn Act, concern over behavioral problems, CCPS focuses on mental health http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/news/education/cc-safe-to-learn-mental-health-20181012-story.html
For Meikel Currence, a second-grader at Taneytown Elementary School, controlling emotions and behaviors hasn’t always been easy.
In the 2017-2018 school year, Meikel had many behavior-related issues each month. But those numbers began to decline as he worked with the school’s full-time psychologist using preventive and responsive services, and at times he benefited from daily crisis intervention and support....
During last year’s legislative session, the Maryland General Assembly moved forward with the Maryland Safe to Learn Act, which, while dealing with school resource officers, also has a strong focus on mental health help for students. And in addition to the law’s requirements, CCPS has been working to put a strong focus on mental health services for students for a number of reasons, from preventative safety measures to working through behavior incidents, like in Meikel’s case….
Dana Falls, director of student services with CCPS, said in an interview with the Times that the law requires each school to have a coordinator of mental health services, something CCPS does not yet have. Kim Muniz, the supervisor of school psychology, and Judy Klinger, the supervisor of school counseling, are sharing the responsibilities for now….
For example, if a threat is received by CCPS, he said, it would initially be assessed by the threat assessment team, and a mental health coordinator would be responsible to collaborate if the student was in need of mental health supports. …
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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.
Loss of Brain Trust features over 9,000 news stories published worldwide since January, 2017