It’s currently estimated that one in seven adolescents (approximately 166 million adolescents globally) experiences a mental health disorder. And since a large portion of these formative years are spent largely inside the school system, it’s critical that children, adolescents, and young adults have the support they need to feel safe, secure and balanced as they navigate life’s challenges and progress towards being healthy, well-rounded adults. 

But what happens if children do not have the support they need? If they feel isolated in all facets of their life, especially while at school? If they experience uncomfortable or unwelcoming feelings and emotions but they don’t have someone to turn to? 

While it’s true that a child’s home environment—and the degree of attachment or involvement with their primary caretakers—contributes significantly to their overall development, establishment of sense-of-self, and the connection towards appropriate health and mental health services, it’s also true that the school system has a responsibility for the safety and well-being of a child as well.  

We know by now that a child’s value system and behaviors are often reflective of their given environment; whether such influence weighs more heavily from their home life, relationship to school, or both areas equally, all have a fundamental piece in understanding a child and meeting them where they are. 

With that being said, paying attention to how a child functions in the school system—socially, emotionally, cognitively, and physically—can be one of the most crucial indicators to look for when it comes to predicting (and preventing) the occurrence of injury and acts of violence in schools. 

It’s time we begin integrating mental health into school safety procedures and adopting a more comprehensive approach towards bettering our schools for our children. 

So what have we been doing thus far to address violence in schools and to create a safer environment for all who attend? 

With an increase in the use of security cameras, metal detectors, security and police personnel, and even discussions of arming teachers (resulting in expenses reaching upwards of 2.7 billion annually) we can’t ignore the fact that there have been many changes implemented in hopes of decreasing violence in schools.  

However, the question remains: how effective have these strategies been in making schools safer? 

And are they superior against other preemptive strategies which may more effectively catch warning-signs of violent behavior and address the concern of untreated mental health conditions among children, adolescents, and young adults? 

According to the National Education Association, “…Much of the national conversation has been inherently reactive, focusing on “crisis response”—to school shootings in particular—rather than a systematic approach to helping students with their mental health needs.” 

Though having standard security measures in place for crises is a necessity, all school professionals should also be trained in the importance of early identification, prevention and maintenance of mental health conditions among their students. In order to achieve this, the budget allocated for school safety and violence prevention cannot rest solely on security and crisis management. We must do our due diligence at following an organized, whole-person approach to prevent injury and acts of violence before they escalate in the first place. 

And yes, while security guards and enhanced technological systems may cast the appearance of an overall safer school climate, such forceful methods have been found to actually increase a state of fear among students, surely likely to deliver more detention slips at the end of the day, but not proven to put a dent in incidences of school violence, especially those leading to fatalities. 

Still, many members of society feel the answer to decreasing acts of force is with other means of force, but safeguarding our children over the long-term must include other preemptive strategies such as: increasing mental health awareness among students and staff, ensuring adequate school staffing, utilizing modernized screening efforts with collaboration from parents and caretakers, as well as offering and funding professional support services to those in need. 

I urge you to ask yourself on today’s Morning in Mental Health: What does school safety mean to you? What does it mean to your loved ones? What can we do better to teach our children, to support them, to keep them out of harm’s way? 

And remember, a simple “How are you doing?” can often pick up a lot more than a shiny new security camera can.

References

Adolescent mental health statistics. UNICEF DATA. (2021, October 5). https://data.unicef.org/topic/child-health/mental-health/#:~:text=In%202019%2C%20it%20was%20estimated,per%20cent%20of%20mental%20disorders

Walker, T. (n.d.). Are schools ready to tackle the Mental Health Crisis? NEA. https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/are-schools-ready-tackle-mental-health-crisis

WP Company. (2018, November 13). Billions are now spent to protect kids from school shootings. has it made them safer? The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2018/local/school-shootings-and-campus-safety-industry/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.974b86a045c8