Dec 23, 2019, KATU TV, Portland, OR: Local school fights for mental health counseling https://katu.com/news/local/local-school-fights-for-mental-health-counseling-rosemary-anderson PORTLAND, Ore. – Oregon will soon start taxing the state's wealthiest businesses and the money gathered will, in part, fund one of educators' gravest concerns -- mental and behavioral health…. The Student Success Act puts basically $1 billion a year going into Oregon schools, and school districts are supposed to work with their communities to decide what to prioritize. A portion of the money in each district must go towards mental and behavioral health, but what people get a say in is what exactly it'll fund. KATU’s Genevieve Reaume looked at how the money gets allocated at Rosemary Anderson High School, a school for students who have likely struggled in traditional education systems…. While these kids may not have what other students do, they've got one thing those their age have been pleading for – a therapist. Beth Kapsch is one of two mental health specialists working at Rosemary Anderson's four campuses. “A place where if a student is having a rough day, they can come and just decompress," said Kapsch…. “We're almost entirely funded through individual donations," said Kapsch. “Years ago, a local Portland family, the Schechters, saw a grave need for more mental health supports in school. And since there wasn't money coming from the state, they took it upon themselves to make it a reality, partnering with Portland Opportunities Industrialization Center -- or POIC -- to raise the funds.”… “Having those services in schools really meets students literally where they are,” said Kapsch. The kids tell me she helps on their bad days and their best, so they can get back to focusing on the fundamentals. POIC recently announced it raised enough money to hire a third mental health specialist for Rosemary Anderson. Their goal is to get one more added to staff, totaling four, within the next two years. What's key here is the Rosemary Anderson community made a choice to raise funds for therapists, and no money from the state helped that…. Many districts are holding community meetings to get feedback on the funding, including Portland Public Schools and Salem-Keizer. Salem-Keizer School District has actually formed a task force to figure out what to do with the $35 million it's getting from the Student Success Act….
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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
Anne Dachel, Media editor, Age of Autism
http://www.ageofautism.com/media/
(John Dachel, Tech. assist.)
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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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