This collection includes resources for strengthening school climate, and improving health, safety, connectedness, and student engagement. Readers are encouraged to explore related links for further information. See also http://bit.ly/PreventDataHarms, http://bit.ly/edpsychtech, and http://bit.ly/screen_time. [Note: Views presented on this page are re-shared from external websites. The content may not necessarily represent the views nor official position of the curator nor employer of the curator.]
"You might recall being up to no good behind closed doors at home in your younger years. But, our parents always seemed to have some kind of sixth sense when malfeasance was on-foot, and would eventually come knocking on the bedroom or lounge room door.
As parents today, we would like to believe that our children are just as safe as we were then, especially whilst we are under the same roof. But as technology has permeated our lives, and the lives of our children, an insidious reality has arisen—strangers can now chat online to our children—right under our noses.
While there are so many great educational and fun apps out there, a lot of them also have chat functions, which can open up the virtual door to predators engaging with our children. Sadly, an increasing number of Australian children are being coerced into taking sexually explicit videos or images of themselves by predators online.
Over the past few years our Online investigations team has seen a rise in cases containing “self-generated child sexual abuse content.” Tragically, this is coming from children as young as 3 or 4, whose innocence and naiveté are literally being snatched away.
These are seriously disturbing scenes. One case involved a young girl around the age of 10, naked and being directed to touch herself via webcam by an online predator. The young victim was performing these acts in her bedroom, with background noise indicating others were home at the time. The predator captured this footage and uploaded it to a forum known to be a regular hunting ground for paedophiles.
Fortunately, our investigators were able to take action to have the content removed from the site within three days after it was reported to us. Working through INHOPE—our international partner network for referring child sexual abuse material—we identified the country of the hosting website and worked with local law enforcement to remove the video. Other victims have not been so fortunate, and there is certainly no guarantee this video has been permanently deleted. This may forever be part of her digital footprint.
Thanks to improved internet connectivity and children’s access to internet-enabled devices occurring from a younger age, the potential for exposure to harmful content and approaches from strangers with mal-intent has increased substantially. More mainstream games, apps and social media platforms come with private chat or live video features that can enable virtually anyone to strike up a conversation with children online. Persistent predators pose as young people, asking unwitting children to commit unspeakable acts on video that they may not understand is detrimental.
With all of the benefits the Internet brings, the dangerous consequences of handing over an internet-connected, camera-enabled device to our children cannot be ignored. Young people, especially young children and tweens, are not yet able to comprehend the potential long-term implications of their online actions. While they may be able to navigate an iPad better than adults, they have not developed the maturity, experience and resilience to cope such serious online risks.
Above all else, parents want to protect their children from harm. So it is important that if you give your child a tablet or smartphone, you lay down the ground rules and stay engaged in their online lives. From the moment a child takes their first digital swipe, we need to be educating them about how to use technology safely and set firm boundaries around that use inside and outside of the home.
The following guidance can help reduce the risk of your child being exploited online:
Get engaged on your child’s "digital playground"—know what sites they’re on, what apps they are using and who their "friends" are online
Teach your child how to recognise "stranger danger" online, just as you would in the real world
Disable your webcam through computer/laptop settings
Disable access to smartphone cameras within apps
Ensure your child uses internet-connected devices in common areas of the home.
While prevention is paramount, it’s also worth knowing the signs that indicate your child is being groomed online. Some red flags in your child’s behaviour can include:
Being very secretive, especially when it comes to their online activity
Engaging with older friends, including boyfriends or girlfriends
Appearing withdrawn, anxious or depressed
Sleeping problems, including nightmares and bed wetting
Missing school
A change in eating habits or the development of an eating disorder.
As parents we are our children’s first line of defence against risks they can be exposed to online, and the eSafety Office is here to assist you at www.esafety.gov.au.
Together, we can protect the innocence of our children, online and offline."
"Raising alarm about the lack of privacy for students and their families, the ACLU of Rhode Island today released a report showing that many school districts in the state give themselves the right to remotely spy on students through the use of school-loaned laptop computers. Under so-called “1 to 1” programs, in which a majority of school districts in the state participate, a private vendor provides free laptops or tablet computers for the school year that students can use at home. With this program, however, the ACLU found, students and their families are often required to surrender basic privacy rights.
The ACLU’s privacy concerns are not hypothetical, as the report highlights the widely publicized case some years ago involving a Pennsylvania school district that surreptitiously took more than 50,000 screenshots of students via remote access to the webcams of their school-loaned laptops. Given this and other important issues, the report concludes that RI state legislators should adopt a standard policy to protect the privacy of students and their families.
The 12-page ACLU report looks specifically at the policies of the 22 local school districts where laptops are provided to students for home use during the school year. In addition to raising concerns about the authority school officials give themselves to remotely access the laptop’s webcam and microphone, the report identified several other related troubling trends:
In loaning students the laptop computers or Chromebooks to use at home, school districts require students and parents to acknowledge they have no expectation of privacy whatsoever regarding the device at any time – even if students are allowed to use it for non-school reasons and parents are encouraged to use it too.
Only a handful of school districts affirm that they will not remotely operate the computers’ camera or audio recording mechanisms.
Most school district policies allow school officials to remotely access and or search the content of the devices at any time – including files, web history and other information – in the absence of any suspicion of misconduct.
The majority of policies also allow school administrators and teachers to physically inspect the devices at any time and for any reason.
“School officials simply should not have the right to use a computer lending program as an excuse to spy on families in the privacy of their own homes,” said Steven Brown, executive director of the ACLU of RI, “but that is precisely what their policies allow.” Added ACLU of RI policy associate Marcela Betancur, “In surveying the school districts for this report, I was shocked to see their complete lack of respect for student and parents’ privacy rights. In order to protect those rights, this report makes clear that the state needs to adopt uniform standards for school districts who participate in 1 to 1 programs.”
The report notes that while the 1 to 1 programs are quite beneficial, “too many schools require students – and their parents – to give up any rights to privacy to participate in the program.” Also noteworthy is the report’s finding that only six RI school districts accommodate poorer families by providing free or reduced insurance coverage for the devices.
The report lays out several policy recommendations, including restricting remote access to the content of the devices, banning remote activation of the computers’ webcam or microphones, implementing standards for searches that are based on reasonable suspicion of misconduct, and providing low- or no-cost insurance coverage for needy families.
"Human trafficking is a horrible reality that takes place every day in the United States and across the globe. Trafficking can involve school-age youth, particularly those made vulnerable by trauma, and can take a variety of forms including forced labor, domestic servitude, and commercial sexual exploitation. Traffickers may target minor victims through social media websites, telephone chat-lines, after-school programs, at shopping malls and bus depots, in clubs, or through friends or acquaintances who recruit students on school campuses.
Schools are a critical component in combating the commercial sexual exploitation of children in our community. Join us as we discuss commercial sexual exploitation of children, the red flags, signs, and resources as well as action planning to integrate our schools in this community effort.
Date/Time: Nov. 3rd 8am-3:30pm
Location: Santa Clara County Office of Education, Oak Grove Room, 2nd Floor 1290 Ridder Park Drive San Jose, CA 95131-2304
Partners: Juvenile Probation, Community Solutions, YWCA
By Stacey A. Gibson [Selected excerpt] Link to full post is below.
"Tyrannies of silence tear through educational institutions with searing ferocity. In hallways and classroom corners and cloaked under the din of the cafeteria hum, many faculty, staff, and administrators of color exchange knowing glances, shaking heads, and cold stories—rushed and whispered—about the race-based treacheries they see, hear, deflect, and absorb in their schools. So often, these same people, especially those who identify as black, are expected to remain silent, internalize race-based trauma, deescalate and/or sanitize situations, and respond in "gentle ways" that do not offend or disrupt the oppressor. Some school leaders create and offer adults and students of color "safe spaces" to meet and "talk about issues." Although important and helpful to some, this retreat and regroup practice reinforces the unspoken but deeply held notion that people of color are to work quietly in these spaces to hold themselves together, repair wounds, and emerge ready to reenter the institution on the institution's terms.
Systemic silences around issues of race, whiteness, and equity in schools sustain a status quo where whites maintain privilege while re-traumatizing people of color and sapping any efforts at meaningful, transformative interventions. Instead of sanctifying silence, use this guide to stay vigilant and committed to exposing and disrupting the subtle forms of oppression at work in your school.
How to Spot and Disrupt Six Silences of Inertia
"I don't know where to begin." Many white educators insist they have no idea where to locate resources about "this stuff," even though there are hundreds of books, thousands of essays and articles, and dozens of reputable sites housing scaffolded, sequenced, highly appropriate material on race, oppression, and equity. Some school administrators set aside funds to attend conferences and institutes to help reframe curricula and provide meaningful professional development, yet some educators are still allowed to practice strategic disengagement around racial equity using this pattern of silence.
Disrupt this silence by visiting sites like Teaching Tolerance, EDUCOLOR, and Radical Teacherfor relevant plans, points of reference, community support, and opportunities for meaningful collaboration.
"The social studies teacher will deal with it." Some (usually but not always) white educators avoid issues of race and equity by insisting that "the humanities teachers will take care of 'that stuff'" and "this race stuff is not doable in math and science." These educators often assert that the content they teach is "neutral" and they would have to "give up something important" to make room for "that stuff."
Disrupt this silence by participating in your local Rethinking Schools' Teachers for Social Justice groups and conferences. Examine and articulate the way privilege affords individuals and whole groups the chance to opt out of opportunities for growth on issues of race and equity.
"But I've already acknowledged my privilege." Many educators mistake declarations of white privilege awareness for a moment of transformational change and meaningful intervention. Generally, once white folks recognize and articulate awareness of their privilege, there seems to be a significant drop off in the stamina needed to engage in constructive, long-term change. It's as if the privilege recognition party occurs, the party ends, and the guest of honor disappears from the party, from their own words, and from their own opportunity to grow.
Disrupt this silence by studying Shakti Butler's film Mirrors of Privilege, either individually or with a professional learning community. Learn to practice race-based self-awareness and self-respect. Find those white people who ally with and support other white people who are willing to share their healing practices around their white identity. Then, confidently address the race-based repair work that is so obviously, deeply needed."...
By Erin Wilkey Oh "If you work with middle or high school students, you've no doubt already heard about the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why. Based on the best-selling 2007 book, the show revolves around a teen girl who commits suicide, leaving behind a series of tapes that hold the story of her motives.
Across the country, schools are grappling with how to address parents' concerns about the series and how to help students process the show and its themes. The series depicts graphic scenes of sexual assault, rape, and suicide, and many adults -- including mental health practitioners -- worry that teens with mental health issues may conclude that suicide is the only solution to their struggles. In addition, many tweens and young teens are watching the series, causing great concern among parents and experts who feel the show's themes are too mature for younger kids.
Schools and educators are responding to these concerns in a variety of ways: sending messages home, hosting parent panels, and even using the series as a springboard for action. One high school in Michigan started a 13 Reasons Why Not campaign to raise awareness and open up a conversations about teen mental health.
Given how TV and movies can facilitate conversations about difficult topics, teachers might consider using the popularity of 13 Reasons Why as an opportunity to talk with students about suicide, rape, mental health, and how schools can support kids.
If you're looking for ideas on how to respond to the series, a host of organizations have resources to help parents, educators, and students process the show's difficult topics:
In addition, many of Common Sense Education's digital citizenship lessons can be used to start conversations in the classroom on key topics from 13 Reasons Why:
"On July 1, Georgia’s new “campus carry” law went into effect. The law, similar to legislation recently enacted in other states, most notably Texas, allows weapons permit holders to carry firearms on campus except at a sporting venue or in a student dormitory. On July 25, a Kennesaw State University student was robbed at gunpoint on campus. The two armed robbers took his wallet — and his gun! So much for arguments that the new law will make campuses safer by allowing students with weapons permits to protect themselves. It is fortunate that the victim did not try to shoot his way out of the situation. Who knows what carnage might have ensued.
In November 2015, the AAUP, the American Federation of Teachers, the Association of American Colleges and Universities, and the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges issued a joint statement opposing such legislation. The statement noted that “College campuses are marketplaces of ideas, and a rigorous academic exchange of ideas may be chilled by the presence of weapons. Students and faculty members will not be comfortable discussing controversial subjects if they think there might be a gun in the room.” The four organizations urged colleges and universities “to rely on trained and equipped professional law-enforcement personnel to respond to emergency incidents.” They also called on state legislatures to “refrain from interfering with decisions that are properly the responsibility of the academic community.”
Empirical research by the Johns Hopkins Center on Gun Policy & Research, published in 2016, concludes that “increasing gun availability in campus environments could make far more common acts of aggression, recklessness, or self-harm more deadly and, thus, have a deleterious impact on the safety of students, faculty, and staff.” That study notes as well that if “campus officers must assume that any given student is armed, this may compromise their ability to effectively respond to, and de-escalate” disputes. It is not too late for legislators to reverse course before incidents like that at Kennesaw State multiply and escalate."
"A loophole in how the government interprets a 1970s-era student privacy law can give companies a way to access student data without parental approval.
Google isa major player in U.S. education. In fact, in many public schools around the country, it's technically a "school official." And that designation means parents may not get a chance to opt out of having information about their children shared with the online advertising giant.
The combined allure of Google's free suite of productivity tools and cheap laptops that use the company's Web-based ChromeOS operating system have made Google's products a popular choice at schools around the country. And the company's growing dominance is raising concern from some privacy advocates who allege it is using some student data for its own benefit.
Google's U.S. educational partnerships are possible thanks in part to school districts' reliance on the government's reinterpretation of an obscure 1970s-era student privacy law.
The law, the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act or FERPA, requires schools to get written consent from parents before sharing personal information about students in many cases or risk federal education dollars. But it has an exception for sharing data with "school officials" who have a "legitimate educational interest" in the data."...
This Scoop perhaps best explains why I chose to do this OCHS unit as an elective for my social work degree. As a support worker for young people at risk of homelessness, I am very aware of the mental strain and emotional turmoil that comes from working with people who have experienced trauma. The article discusses the vicarious trauma that human service workers in the justice system can experience through exposure to dangerous and distressing events and situations. This all ties in with the mental disorders discussed during the lecture and my other scoops for mental health OHS and is something I am keen to learn more about in the future.
"Without My Consent is a non-profit organization seeking to combat online invasions of privacy. The resources found here are intended to empower individuals to stand up for their privacy rights and inspire meaningful debate about the internet, accountability, free speech, and the serious problem of online invasions of privacy.
Without My Consent would also like to express its sincerest thanks and appreciation to our invaluable team members, Cynthia Wu and Natalie Nicol.
Cynthia is the author and curator of Without My Consent's Weekly Roundup and serves as WMC's Grant Administrator for the Digital Trust Foundation grants. She is a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, and works on privacy issues at Google.
Natalie is the Project Manager for the 50 State Project. She is also a member of the inaugural class of Internet Law & Policy Foundry Fellows and Legal Counsel for DITA Eyewear."
BOULDER, CO (August 15, 2017) “Digital technologies used in schools are increasingly being harnessed to amplify corporate marketing and profit-making and extend the reach of commercializing activities into every aspect of students’ school lives. In addition to the long-standing goal of providing brand exposure, marketing through education technology now routinely engages students in activities that facilitate the collection of valuable personal data and that socialize students to accept relentless monitoring and surveillance as normal, according to a new report released by the National Education Policy Center.
In Asleep at the Switch: Schoolhouse Commercialism, Student Privacy, and the Failure of Policymaking, the NEPC’s 19th annual report on schoolhouse commercialism trends, University of Colorado Boulder researchers Faith Boninger, Alex Molnar and Kevin Murray examine how technological advances, the lure of “personalization,” and lax regulation foster the collection of personal data and have overwhelmed efforts to protect children’s privacy. They find that for-profit entities are driving an escalation of reliance on education technology with the goal of transforming public education into an ever-larger profit center—by selling technology hardware, software, and services to schools; by turning student data into a marketable product; and by creating brand-loyal customers.
Boninger points out that “policymaking to protect children’s privacy or to evaluate the quality of the educational technology they use currently ranges from inadequate to nonexistent.” “Schools and districts are paying huge sums of money to private vendors and creating systems to transfer vast amounts of children’s personal information to education technology companies,” explains Molnar."
NAMI Basics Class for parents of high school age children with symptoms or diagnosis of mental health conditions. This free 6 session class teaches strategies and skills for caregiving along with up-to-date information on treatments, research, school and other community resources. To sign up for the class, please call the NAMI office in your county: Santa Clara County - 408-453-0400 option 1; San Mateo - 650-638-0800 or online.
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REGULAR MEETINGS:
Every Tuesday- 7:00 to 8:30pm, Eating Disorders/Body Images Support Group (this group is for teens and adults), El Camino Hospital, Conference Room C, 2500 Grant Road, Mountain View. For more info, phone 408-356-1212 or email info@edrcsv.org
Every Wednesday- 5-6pm, Run Talk Run is a mental health support group offering a safe space to talk about our mental health and be fully present for each other. Meet at Cooper Park in Mountain View. Free, more info HERE
Every Thursday- 6:30 to 7:45pm, Recovering Our Families, Family Mental Health and Addiction Recovery Support Group - Open To ALL, Lucie Stern Community Center, Fireside Room, 1305 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. For more information please contact kmackinnon@muirwoodteen.com or call Krista MacKinnon 415-385-7618.
Every Thursday- 6:30 to 9:30pm, DBSA Friends and Family Support Group, free/walk-in, Good Samaritan Hospital- Mission Oaks campus, Room 299, 15891 Los Gatos/Almaden Road, Los Gatos. SCHEDULE
Every Saturday- 1pm to 3pm, DBSA Young Adults (ages 18-29) Peer Support Group, free/walk-in, Good Samaritan Hospital- Mission Oaks campus, 15891 Los Gatos/Almaden Road, Los Gatos. SCHEDULE
Every Other Saturday- 10am to noon, DBSA Support Groups, free/walk-in, El Camino Hospital, Conference Room B, 2500 Grant Road, Mountain View. 1st and 3rd Saturdays Peer Support Group; 2nd & 4th Saturdays Friends and Family Support Group. For specific dates: SCHEDULE
First Tuesday of Every Month- 7pm to 8:30, Transition Age Youth (TAY/14-24 years) Family Support Group. El Camino Hospital-Los Gatos, 815 Pollard Rd, Conf. Rm 2, Los Gatos. Contact: namitayfamily@gmail.com
First Tuesday of Every Month- 7pm, NAMI Family Support Group for family and friends of young adults experiencing symptoms of a mental health condition. El Camino Hospital, Mountain View Campus, Conference Room G, 2500 Grant Road, Mountain View. For questions or further information please contact NAMI facilitators: www.namisantaclara.org
Second Tuesday of Every Month- 7pm, Parent Chat, walk-in, Los Altos Library (Room TBA), 13 S. San Antonio Road, Los Altos. Free, anonymous, peer-to-peer support for parents/caregivers of youth with mental health issues. For questions call Trudy at 650-559-9035 or Kris at 650-714-3783.
Third Sunday of Every Month- 1:30 to 3:30pm, Parents of Vision, a faith-based, free parent support group. St. Mark's Episcopal Church, Youth Room (at the back of the church), 600 Colorado Ave, Palo Alto. More info at https://parentsofvision.com/
Third Wednesday of Every Month- 11am to 1pm, Anxiety and Mood Disorder Support and Info Group at Parents Helping Parents. Sobrato Center, 1400 Parkmoor Ave., PHP Room 2, San Jose. For more click HERE
Fourth Tuesday of Every Month- 7pm to 8:30pm, Paths for Positive Adulting. Sobrato Center, 1400 Parkmoor Ave., Suite 100, San Jose. For more, contact info@php.com or click HERE
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THIS MONTH'S EVENTS:
9/3- Tuesday- 8:30am to 12pm, Motivational Interviewing. Learn about how strategic and motivating conversations can create positive outcomes for sufferers of substance abuse and mental health conditions with Kristin Dempsey of San Mateo County Behavioral Health and Recovery Service. Foster City Library, 1000 E. Hillsdale Blvd, Foster City, 2nd Floor Wind Room. Free, register HERE
9/3- Tuesday- 6:30pm, NAMI Mobile Response and Stabilization Program discussion, overview, comment. Saratoga Library Community Room at 13650 Saratoga Ave., Saratoga. Call Balinda Martinez to register at 408-794-0667.
9/5- Thursday- 7am, Challenge Team meeting. Mountain View Police Department, 1000 Villa St., Mountain View. More info HERE
9/5- Thursday- 8:30am to 6:00pm, Youth Mental Health First Aid Training sponsored by Project Safety Net and Santa Clara County Behavioral Health Services. Adobe Room at Mitchell Park Library, 3700 Middlefield Road, Palo Alto. Free, register HERE
9/10- Tuesday- 7pm, NAMI General Meeting will discuss the revisions to one of NAMI’s signature programs, In Our Own Voice. Good Samaritan Hospital, basement of main building, 2425 Samaritan Dr. San Jose. More info HERE
9/12- Thursday- 6pm to 9pm, “The Edge of Success”, BraveMaker film screening and panel discussion on mental health awareness and suicide prevention. This film is intended for audiences 13 years old and up. Tickets are free to students. Fox Theater, 2215 Broadway St. Redwood City. More info and tickets HERE
9/12- Thursday- 6:30pm, NAMI Mobile Response and Stabilization Program discussion, overview, comment. Franklin-McKinley Board Room at 645 Wool Creek Drive, San Jose. Call Balinda Martinez to register at 408-794-0667.
9/13- Friday- 12pm to 4:30pm, Mental Health & Wellness Fair during Suicide Prevention Week to raise awareness and connect with resources. Eastridge Center, 2200 Eastridge Loop, San Jose. For info, email Evelyn.Quintanilla@hhs.sccgov.org
9/13- Friday- 12pm, TMS Therapy at Acacia Mental Health. Learn about Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) as a treatment option for depression. Acadia Mental Health, 877 W. Fremont Ave., Sunnyvale. Free, register HERE
9/13 & 9/20- 12pm to 4pm, Adult Mental Health First Aid class to teach adults how to help someone who is developing a mental health problem or experiencing a mental health crisis. 1075 E. Santa Clara St., 2nd Floor, San Jose. Free, register online atwww.sccbhsd.org/eccac or email Peggy.Cho@hhs.sccgov.org.
Also offered 9/30 & 10/2 from 12:30pm to 4:30pm.
9/17- Tuesday- 7pm Navigating the Tides of Adolescence. Star Vista and Common Ground Speaker Series presents a panel discussion addressing adolescent health, depression and anxiety, featuring Julie Lythcott-Haims. Junipero Serra High School, 451 W. 20th Ave. San Mateo. Free, register HERE
9/18- Wednesday- 12 to 2pm, San Jose Behavioral Health: Lunch and Learn, 455 Silicon Valley Blvd., San Jose. Summit Estate Recovery Center will be speaking, with lunch and CEU credits. RSVP to Richa Sachdev Sandhu, MS, at Richa.Sandhu@AcadiaHealthcare.Com or 669-400-6220.
9/18 & 9/19- 12:30pm to 4:30pm, Mental Health First Aid for Adults who work with Youth. This course is designed for adults who work with youth, parents with teenagers, and transitional age youth. 1075 E. Santa Clara St., 2nd Floor, San Jose. Free, register online atwww.sccbhsd.org/eccac or email Peggy.Cho@hhs.sccgov.org.
Spanish class offered in September 9/12 & 9/13 from 9am to 1pm.
9/20- Friday- 9am to 3:30pm, Dialectical Behavior Therapy. This continuing education course is open to professionals and will be taught by Michele Berk, PhD and Stephanie Clarke, PhD. CHC, 650 Clark Way, Palo Alto. $150 plus fees. Register HERE
9/20- Friday- 10am to 12pm, Peninsula Behavioral Health Professionals Brunch & Learn by Camp Recovery Center. Dr. Wes Pederson, PhD of Wise Mind Institute will be presenting on RO-DBT in practice. Stacks, 314 El Camino Real, Redwood City.
9/21- Saturday, NAMI Walks Silicon Valley presents “A Walk in My Shoes”, a 5k walk at the Guadalupe River Park/Arena Green West in San Jose. Check in starts at 8:30am. Walk start at 10:30am. Check out the WEBSITE or contact Shanna Webb at 408-453-0400 orswebb@namisantaclara.org
9/21- Saturday- 11am to 2pm, SELPA Annual Fall Family BBQ at Rengstorff Park in Mountain View. Come join special education staff and families from Mountain View, Los Altos and Palo Alto at a fun event to start off the new school year! Food, fun, meet friends and find new resources! Rengstorff Park BBQ tables. More info HERE
9/22- Sunday- 9:30am to 2:30pm, Teen Wellness Conference where youth ages 12-25 can share questions and stories in a safe space, learn about mental health and advocacy and connect with others. The Tech Interactive at 201 S. Market St. San Jose. Free for youth, register HERE
9/25, 10/9 and 10/30- 11:30am to 1:30pm, Executive Functioning Intensive Series for Parents will consist of three 2-hour workshops held in a small group setting, taught by Chris Harris, MEd, Chief Schools Officer at CHC. CHC Palo Alto Campus, 650 Clark Way, Palo Alto. $275 for all 3 sessions, plus fees. Register HERE
9/26, 10/10 and 10/24- 11:30am to 1:30pm, Executive Functioning Intensive Series for Parents will consist of three 2-hour workshops held in a small group setting, taught by Chris Harris, MEd, Chief Schools Officer at CHC. CHC South Bay Campus, 2280 Kenwood Ave, San Jose. $275 for all 3 sessions, plus fees. Register HERE
9/26- Thursday- 5:30pm to 8:30pm, “The Kids We Lose” film screening. This documentarys eeks to heighten awareness about children/students with learning and/or behavioral challenges and how to provide them with appropriate support. The screening will be followed by a community forum. 3Below Theaters & Lounge, 288 S. 2nd Street, San Jose. Free, register HERE.
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ONGOING CLASS SERIES:
NAMI Basics Class for parents of high school age children with symptoms or diagnosis of mental health conditions. This free 6 session class teaches strategies and skills for caregiving along with up-to-date information on treatments, research, school and other community resources. To sign up for the class, please call the NAMI office in your county: Santa Clara County - 408-453-0400 option 1; San Mateo - 650-638-0800 or online.
"Some argue for stricter gun control policies, others call for more social and emotional learning, but it's important not to let the debate get in the way of action. Here are seven interrelated ideas that can move our country forward toward actual solutions that reduce school shootings.
1. Do not wait for an FBI response alone. Find ways to better listen to students and teachers who are aware of threats
Student and teacher awareness of weapons and threats is a potentially powerful way to prevent future tragedies. These voices are much closer to the ground than anonymous calls to an FBI tip line.
Findings from the California Healthy Kids biannual survey consistently suggest that over the past seven years about 20% to 30% of secondary school students, depending on the year, grade level and school type, reported having seen a weapon on school grounds.
In California alone, based on the total number of secondary school students, this could be more than half a million students. Listening to these students, we learn that there are many weapons on school grounds and students know about them.
The students' knowledge of weapons in their school is the rumbling before the earthquake. We cannot expect national anti-terrorist experts to effectively screen this information. We need to use this local knowledge at the school level more effectively and wisely. We also need support for the students who are in fear of weapons at school, but are still obligated to attend school each day.
2. Pay attention to obsessions with firearms
Many shooters in mass school shootings are obsessed with firearm arsenals. Obsession with prior school shootings, mass murders and methods used to kill many people are warning signs of a potential threat.
Often, discussions about the Second Amendment focus only on the right of citizens to possess firearms. But those who openly express obsessions with arsenals of firearms and profess the desire to kill others should be seen by law enforcement and school professionals not as citizens expressing a constitutional right, but citizens who are dangerous to others.
Policy allowing officials greater latitude to act when these factors jointly appear is important even if the weapons are obtained legally. Schools and local authorities need guidance to better flag situations where both the obsession with arsenals and expressed desire to harm occur. We need laws, procedures and policies that specifically allow authorities to act when threats are coupled with ownership of firearm arsenals.
3. Implement a national public health strategy focused on reducing weapons on school grounds
There are illegal weapons already on campuses. Identifying the schools that face the largest threats due to the number of weapons on campus is critical. This data is available through state-level school climate surveys and we should undertake a public health campaign aimed at reducing weapons at these schools.
A significant number of students bring, are aware of, or have seen weapons on school grounds. Publicly available biannually collected California student survey data suggests that between 2011 and 2015, approximately 7% to 10% of California secondary school students reported that they had brought a weapon other than a gun to school grounds. Approximately 3% to 5% specifically reported carrying a gun in school.
Given that there are more than 2.5 million students in California's middle and high schools, this conservatively could represent more than 75,000 guns brought to school grounds during this period. It could be further estimated that more than 175,000 knives or other weapons were brought on school grounds.
Additionally, approximately 5% to 9% of secondary students said they were threatened or injured by a weapon on school grounds. This translates to more than 125,000 students reporting that they were threatened, at least once, in the state of California alone during this time frame.
4. Articulate what to do when someone tells the world, their friends, family members or co-workers they want to kill others
At each social level -- friends, teachers, principals, parents, neighbors and law enforcement -- there needs to be a response when an individual tells others of a plan to kill or harm, shows weapons, makes threats, has a method or has a target in mind.
More students are calling hotlines, neighbors are more frequently calling police, and schools are expelling or suspending dangerous students from schools. But we still need to educate the public on the specific procedures for reporting a potential threat. The more articulation, the better.
5. Disentangle discussions about mental health from cases of individuals who threaten harm, have a method and access to weapons
These threats should also not be treated as a freedom of speech issue. Policies and procedures should be focused on when and how to intervene when someone declares a desire to harm themselves, others or both. This harm declaration could happen verbally, on social media, through writing or video. Sometimes the threat is specific; sometimes it's not.
Obviously, the more specific the target group, the location, the time and method, the higher the risk of harm. This would be true for someone with or without a mental health issue.
6. Expulsion from school should be the beginning -- not the end -- of the response when there are threats of weapons
What happens to students after they are expelled for bringing weapons to schools or threatening to harm others? Do we take this potentially dangerous person and offer them no support or monitoring in society — and withhold their education? Who is responsible for monitoring the ongoing threat when the student is not in school?
Many of these students are either referred to an alternative school, drop out or eventually get caught up in the juvenile justice or welfare system. There is a Grand Canyon-size gap in the transitions and pipelines between these systems.
We need regional and state educational authorities to take more responsibility for this small group of students after they are expelled for threatening others with weapons. They should not be left unmonitored and unsupported.
Alternative schools need to be supported to provide mental health services to these students, to monitor their progress and rehabilitation, and coordinate between the school, the local community, and the justice system to prevent these students from falling between the cracks of our system.
7. Separate arguments about the Second Amendment from efforts to limit weapons that kill many people in a few minutes on school grounds.
This is the elephant in the room, but it must be addressed. None of our founders, if they were alive today, would accept the logic used to allow military assault weapons for all.
There is no question that we need to severely curtail access to assault military-style firearms or institute stringent background checks and strong regulations for anyone with a violent criminal record or mental health issues who threatens others with firearms.
All the research, data, and frankly, common sense, point to this as a way to prevent injury and loss of life. Even staunch Second Amendment advocates have a hard time justifying why military-style weapons should be easier to get than a driver's license. The number of people harmed by these weapons in just a short time far outnumbers the damage caused by any other firearms.
Policymakers can act on each of these points starting tomorrow. Let's move beyond the stale talking points toward preventing pain, suffering and saving young people's lives."
Schools have an important role in preventing youth suicide, and being aware of potential risk factors in students’ lives is vital to this responsibility. The trending Netflix series 13 Reasons Why, based on a young adult novel of the same name, is raising such concerns. The series revolves around 17-year-old Hannah Baker, who takes her own life and leaves behind audio recordings for 13 people who she says in some way were part of why she killed herself. Each tape recounts painful events in which one or more of the 13 individuals played a role.
Producers for the show say they hope the series can help those who may be struggling with thoughts of suicide. However, the series, which many teenagers are binge watching without adult guidance and support, is raising concerns from suicide prevention experts about the potential risks posed by the sensationalized treatment of youth suicide. The series graphically depicts a suicide death and addresses in wrenching detail a number of difficult topics, such a bullying, rape, drunk driving, and slut shaming. The series also highlights the consequences of teenagers witnessing assaults and bullying (i.e., bystanders) and not taking action to address the situation (e.g., not speaking out against the incident, not telling an adult about the incident).
Cautions
We do not recommend that vulnerable youth, especially those who have any degree of suicidal ideation, watch this series. Its powerful storytelling may lead impressionable viewers to romanticize the choices made by the characters and/or develop revenge fantasies. They may easily identify with the experiences portrayed and recognize both the intentional and unintentional effects on the central character. Unfortunately, adult characters in the show, including the second school counselor who inadequately addresses Hannah’s pleas for help, do not inspire a sense of trust or ability to help. Hannah’s parents are also unaware of the events that lead to her suicide death.
While many youth are resilient and capable of differentiating between a TV drama and real life, engaging in thoughtful conversations with them about the show is vital. Doing so presents an opportunity to help them process the issues addressed, consider the consequences of certain choices, and reinforce the message that suicide is not a solution to problems and that help is available. This is particularly important for adolescents who are isolated, struggling, or vulnerable to suggestive images and storylines. Research shows that exposure to another person’s suicide, or to graphic or sensationalized accounts of death, can be one of the many risk factors that youth struggling with mental health conditions cite as a reason they contemplate or attempt suicide.
What the series does accurately convey is that there is no single cause of suicide. Indeed, there are likely as many different pathways to suicide as there are suicide deaths. However, the series does not emphasize that common among most suicide deaths is the presence of treatable mental illnesses. Suicide is not the simple consequence of stressors or coping challenges, but rather, it is most typically a combined result of treatable mental illnesses and overwhelming or intolerable stressors.
School psychologists and other school-employed mental health professionals can assist stakeholders (e.g., school administrators, parents, and teachers) to engage in supportive conversations with students as well as provide resources and offer expertise in preventing harmful behaviors.
Guidance for Educators
While we do not recommend that all students view this series, it can be appreciated as an opportunity to better understand young people’s experiences, thoughts, and feelings. Children and youth who view this series will need supportive adults to process it. Take this opportunity to both prevent the risk of harm and identify ongoing social and behavior problems in the school community that may need to be addressed.
Help students articulate their perceptions when viewing controversial content, such as 13 Reasons Why. The difficult issues portrayed do occur in schools and communities, and it is important for adults to listen, take adolescents’ concerns seriously, and be willing to offer to help.
Reinforce that school-employed mental health professionals are available to help. Emphasize that the behavior of the second counselor in the series is understood by virtually all school-employed mental health professionals as inappropriate. It is important that all school-employed mental health professionals receive training in suicide risk assessment.
Make sure parents, teachers, and students are aware of suicide risk warning signs. Always take warning signs seriously, and never promise to keep them secret. Establish a confidential reporting mechanism for students. Common signs include:
Suicide threats, both direct (“I am going to kill myself.” “I need life to stop.”) and indirect (“I need it to stop.” “I wish I could fall asleep and never wake up.”). Threats can be verbal or written, and they are often found in online postings.
Giving away prized possessions.
Preoccupation with death in conversation, writing, drawing, and social media.
Changes in behavior, appearance/hygiene, thoughts, and/or feelings. This can include someone who is typically sad who suddenly becomes extremely happy.
Emotional distress.
Students who feel suicidal are not likely to seek help directly; however, parents, school personnel, and peers can recognize the warning signs and take immediate action to keep the youth safe. When a student gives signs that they may be considering suicide, take the following actions:
Remain calm, be nonjudgmental, and listen. Strive to understand the intolerable emotional pain that has resulted in suicidal thoughts.
Avoid statements that might be perceived as minimizing the student’s emotional pain (e.g., “You need to move on." or "You should get over it.”).
Ask the student directly if they are thinking about suicide (i.e., "Are you thinking of suicide?").
Focus on your concern for their well-being and avoid being accusatory.
Reassure the student that there is help and they will not feel like this forever.
Provide constant supervision. Do not leave the student alone.
Without putting yourself in danger, remove means for self-harm, including any weapons the person might find.
Get help. Never agree to keep a student's suicidal thoughts a secret. Instead, school staff should take the student to a school-employed mental health professional. Parents should seek help from school or community mental health resources. Students should tell an appropriate caregiving adult, such as a school psychologist, administrator, parent, or teacher.
School or district officials should determine how to handle memorials after a student has died. Promote memorials that benefit others (e.g., donations for a suicide prevention program) and activities that foster a sense of hope and encourage positive action. The memorial should not glorify, highlight, or accentuate the individual’s death. It may lead to imitative behaviors or a suicide contagion (Brock et al., 2016).
Reinforcing resiliency factors can lessen the potential of risk factors that lead to suicidal ideation and behaviors. Once a child or adolescent is considered at risk, schools, families, and friends should work to build these factors in and around the youth.
Family support and cohesion, including good communication.
Peer support and close social networks.
School and community connectedness.
Cultural or religious beliefs that discourage suicide and promote healthy living.
Adaptive coping and problem-solving skills, including conflict resolution.
General life satisfaction, good self-esteem, and a sense of purpose.
Easy access to effective medical and mental health resources.
Strive to ensure that all student spaces on campus are monitored and that the school environment is truly safe, supportive, and free of bullying.
If additional guidance is needed, ask for support from your building- or district-level crisis team. The team may be able to assist with addressing unique situations affecting your building.
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE) and the JED Foundation have created talking points for conversations with youth specific to the 13 Reasons Whyseries, available online.
Guidance for Families
Ask your child if they have heard or seen the series 13 Reasons Why. While we don’t recommend that they be encouraged to view the series, do tell them you want to watch it, with them or to catch up, and discuss their thoughts.
If they exhibit any of the warning signs above, don’t be afraid to ask if they have thought about suicide or if someone is hurting them. Raising the issue of suicide does not increase the risk or plant the idea. On the contrary, it creates the opportunity to offer help.
Ask your child if they think any of their friends or classmates exhibit warning signs. Talk with them about how to seek help for their friend or classmate. Guide them on how to respond when they see or hear any of the warning signs.
Listen to your children’s comments without judgment. Doing so requires that you fully concentrate, understand, respond, and then remember what is being said. Put your own agenda aside.
Get help from a school-employed or community-based mental health professional if you are concerned for your child’s safety or the safety of one of their peers.
Suicide is never a solution. It is an irreversible choice regarding a temporary problem. There is help. If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide or know someone who is, talk to a trusted adult, call 1-800-273-TALK (8255), or text “START” to 741741.
Don't be afraid to talk to your friends about how they feel and let them know you care about them.
Be an “upstander” and take actions to reduce bullying and increase positive connections among others. Report concerns.
Never promise to keep secret behaviors that represent a danger toward another person.
Suicide is preventable. People considering suicide typically say something or do something that is a warning sign. Always take warning signs seriously and know the warning signs.
Suicide threats, both direct ("I am going to kill myself.") and indirect ("I wish I could fall asleep and never wake up."). Can be verbal, written, or posted online.
Suicide notes and planning, including online postings.
Preoccupation with death in conversation, writing, drawing, and social media.
Changes in behavior, appearance/hygiene, thoughts, and/or feelings.
Emotional distress.
Separate myths and facts.
MYTH: Talking about suicide will make someone choose death by suicide who has never thought about it before. FACT: There is no evidence to suggest that talking about suicide plants the idea. Talking with your friend about how they feel and letting them know that you care about them is important. This is the first step in getting your friend help.
MYTH: People who struggle with depression or other mental illness are just weak. FACT: Depression and other mental illnesses are serious health conditions and are treatable.
MYTH: People who talk about suicide won't really do it. FACT: People, particularly young people who are thinking about suicide, typically demonstrate warning signs. Always take these warning signs seriously.
Never leave the person alone; seek out a trusted adult immediately. School-employed mental health professionals like your school psychologist are trusted sources of help.
Work with other students and the adults in the school if you want to develop a memorial for someone who has died by suicide. Although decorating a student’s locker, creating a memorial social media page, or other similar activities are quick ways to remember the student who has died, they may influence others to imitate or have thoughts of wanting to die as well. It is recommended that schools develop memorial activities that encourage hope and promote positive outcomes for others (e.g., suicide prevention programs).
Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network, www.rainn.org
References
Brock, S. E., Nickerson, A. B., Louvar Reeves, M. A., Conolly, C., Jimerson, S., Pesce, R, & Lazarro, B. (2016). School crisis prevention and intervention: The PREPaRE model (2nd ed.). Bethesda, MD: National Association of School Psychologists.
Contributors: Christina Conolly, Kathy Cowan, Peter Faustino, Ben Fernandez, Stephen Brock, Melissa Reeves, Rich Lieberman
"13 Reasons Why" Netflix Series: How School Counselors Can Help
View a webinar presented by ASCA, the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the National Association of School Psychologists on using "13 Reasons Why" as a teachable moment. Download ASCA handout, AFSP handout, NASP handout.
The teenage years are typically marked by turbulent emotions and stress. The Netflix series “13 Reasons Why” has highlighted the impact and consequences when friends, parents, teachers and school counselors aren’t aware of or don’t know how to intervene when a student needs help.
Often mental health struggles come to light only in the public extremes, when an outburst or tragic event or television show forces us to stop and ask “Why?” Because it is not a physical disability but one involving brain chemistry, mental illness is often a private struggle that hides in the corners of our school hallways.
Educating students, staff members and parents about mental health issues is critical to the work of school counselors. School counselors know students who struggle socially and emotionally are vulnerable to academic failure. Instinctively, others know this as well but often don’t have the tools they need or know school counselors can provide to help. School counselors: • Recognize warning signs, such as: 1. changes in school performance (e.g. grades, attendance)
2. changes in mood
3. complaints of illness
4. increased disciplinary problems at school
5. problems experienced at home or family situations (stress, trauma, divorce, substance abuse, poverty, domestic violence)
6. communication from teachers about problems at school
7. dealing with existing mental health concerns
• Educate teachers, administrators, parents/guardians and community stakeholders about the warning signs and about the mental health concerns of students, including recognition of the role environmental factors have in causing or exacerbating mental health issues and provide resources and information • Advocate, collaborate and coordinate with school and community stakeholders to ensure students and their families have access to mental health services • Recognize and address barriers to access mental health services and the associated stigma, including cultural and linguistic impediments • Help identify and address students’ mental health issues while working within the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors; Competencies for School Counselors; and national, state and local legislation (Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act and Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act), which guide school counselors’ informed decision making and standardize professional practice to protect both the student and school counselor • Direct students and parents to school and/or community resources for additional assistance through referrals that treat mental health issues (suicidal ideation, violence, abuse and depression) • Provide responsive services including internal and external referral procedures, short-term counseling or crisis intervention focused on mental health or situational (e.g. grief, difficult transitions) concerns with the intent of helping the student return to the classroom and removing barriers to learning
• Deliver the school counseling core curriculum that proactively enhances awareness of mental health; promotes positive, healthy behaviors; and seeks to remove the stigma associated with mental health issues
• Provide school-based prevention and universal interventions and targeted interventions for students with mental health and behavioral health concerns
A number of brands of “smartwatches” intended to help parents monitor and protect young children have major security and privacy flaws which could endanger the children wearing them. A coalition of leading U.S. child advocacy, consumer, and privacy groups sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) today, asking the agency to investigate the threat these watches pose to children.
Smartwatches for children essentially work as a wearable smartphone. Parents can communicate with their child through the mobile phone function and track the child’s location via an app. Some product listings recommend them for children as young as three years old.
Groups sending the letter to the FTC are the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the Center for Digital Democracy (CDD), the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood (CCFC), the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Public Citizen, and U.S. PIRG. The advocacy groups are working with the Norwegian Consumer Council (NCC), which conducted research showing that watches sold in the U.S. under the brands Caref and SeTracker have significant security flaws, unreliable safety features, and policies which lack consumer privacy protections. In the EU, groups are filing complaints in Belgium, Denmark, the Netherlands, Sweden, Germany, the UK, and with other European regulators."...
"Canada's authority on bullying, PREVNet is a national network of leading researchers and organizations, working together to stop bullying in Canada. It is the first of its kind in this country and a world leader in bullying prevention. Through education, research, training and policy change, PREVNet aims to stop the violence caused by bullying - so every child can grow up happy, healthy and safe."
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