{"id":32820,"date":"2023-04-18T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-04-18T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lightspeedsystems.com\/?p=32820"},"modified":"2025-04-30T08:39:49","modified_gmt":"2025-04-30T12:39:49","slug":"three-ways-to-give-students-a-safe-place-to-express-their-concerns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lightspeedsystems.com\/es\/blog\/three-ways-to-give-students-a-safe-place-to-express-their-concerns\/","title":{"rendered":"Tres maneras de brindarles a los estudiantes un espacio seguro para expresar sus inquietudes"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Kids have a lot on their minds as they walk through our hallways. I don\u2019t fit in. I can\u2019t keep up with my classes. My friend is cutting. Is my school safe? For disadvantaged students, problems may extend to basic life needs, leading kids to questions such as if the family can pay the rent or buy enough groceries.<\/p>\n

When questions like these go unanswered, risky behaviors such as substance abuse or violence against their peers are more likely to occur. Too often, problems involving physical or mental health<\/a>, emotional stress, behavioral problems, or academics are left unresolved or worsen because students and families aren\u2019t comfortable expressing their feelings and concerns.<\/p>\n

Schools are on the Front Lines in the Youth Mental Health Crisis<\/strong><\/h2>\n

As educators, we see the rise in student mental health, socio-emotional, and behavioral concerns firsthand. The numbers back up our observations. The most drastic statistic is that suicide has become the second leading cause of death<\/a> for children ages 10 to 14 and the third most common cause of death among 15 and <\/a>24-year-olds. While the factors are complex, the CDC reports<\/a> that in 2021,\u00a0more than four in ten students felt persistently sad or hopeless, and nearly one-third (29%)<\/a> experienced poor mental health.<\/p>\n

As we face this dire situation, schools play a critical role in the solution, providing mental health support for 70% of children<\/a> who seek help. However, many students with mental or emotional health issues remain undiagnosed or don\u2019t receive the help they need. While about one in seven children<\/a> have at least one treatable mental health disorder, over one-half of children<\/a> in the US are not receiving the services critical to their mental, emotional, and physical well-being.<\/p>\n

With so much distress, why don\u2019t more students talk to the adults in their school to express concerns and ask for help?<\/p>\n

Understanding the Problems Behind Sharing Concerns<\/h2>\n

When we observe our students, some problems are visible, such as chronic absenteeism, disruptive behavior, or violence. Other times, problems remain well-hidden, such as when a child is lonely, anxious, or bullied<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Schools are doing their best to combat these figures, but it\u2019s not always easy, with the fallout from COVID-19, limited school budgets, and personnel shortages. Finding solutions is even more challenging because students are often afraid to talk about their feelings or problems for fears such as being made fun of, being labeled a \u201csnitch,\u201d or thinking adults won\u2019t take them seriously. Parents have similar issues with feeling embarrassed or having the school think they are incompetent.<\/p>\n

How can we solve the problems in our K-12 schools<\/a> when we have limited resources and often don\u2019t know when children are in distress? As educators, we hope students and caregivers can come to us when they need help. However, trust and communication between children, parents, and the school are often in short supply.<\/p>\n

Three Pathways to Encourage Opening Up to Schools<\/h2>\n

Three pathways to success are to create a caring community, strengthen connectedness, and leverage technology-driven solutions. Here are how these three elements work together.<\/p>\n

1. Create a caring community:<\/strong> Students do better when they believe that peers, teachers, and other adults care about them. A fully integrated, school-wide program would include a specialized curriculum, in-class discussion, real-time interventions, and home-based activities that promote expressing themselves and respecting others\u2019 perceptions. These strategies help all children gain life skills such as developing positive relationships, cooperating, and managing emotions\u2014all of which support positive academic, social, and life outcomes.<\/p>\n

Creating a caring, safe community aligns with Tier 1 of the MTSS<\/a> (Multi-Tiered System of Support), a framework that helps allocate support resources to students based on data-driven assessments. Tier 1, primary intervention, supports all students by setting up classroom-wide systems for all students, staff, and settings. When schools identify a child at risk, the student receives specialized attention as part of Tier 2 or Tier 3 prevention levels. Providing a caring school setting may reduce the need for higher-level services.<\/p>\n

2. Strengthen Connectedness:<\/strong> As defined by the CDC, \u201cSchool connectedness reflects student belief that peers and adults in the school support, value, and care about their individual well-being as well as their academic progress.\u201d Schools should expand their connection to parents, being transparent about all aspects of their child\u2019s education, creating pathways to increase two-way dialog, promoting involvement, and enabling them to talk to the school about their concerns.<\/p>\n

Among the many possible ways to build a culture of connection, the CDC recommends activities in these areas to support connectedness:<\/p>\n