Published in the February 14, 2018 edition
By DAN TOMASELLO
LYNNFIELD — School officials are looking to develop programs in order to help students deal with mental health issues.
The School Committee participated in a follow-up roundtable discussion about the 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) last week. The survey’s results were revealed during a joint Board of Selectmen and School Committee meeting last November. The selectmen and school board have formed a partnership in order to address substance abuse as well as develop prevention methods the town and schools can implement.
Middle school students in grades seven and eight took the survey last fall. High school students in grades 9-12 took the survey as well. The survey was last administered in 2014.
LMS
Lynnfield Middle School Assistant Principal Tom Sallee said the survey’s results identified “three areas of concern.” He said the concerns pertained to mental health, stress and bullying.
Sallee said responses about suicide were a huge area of concern. He said close to 8 percent of students considered attempting suicide, 6 percent made a plan and 2.5 percent attempted suicide.
In the wake of the results from the suicide question, Sallee said the middle school wants more teachers to receive training as part of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program for middle school students.
“Our health and wellness teacher, Sheri Weeks, teaches a unit on suicide and teen depression to our eighth graders,” said Sallee. “She is trained in the Signs of Suicide program, but we are looking to get more staff signed up for that including our two school psychologists. Our psychologists have received psychology training, but not specifically SOS protocol training.”
Sallee said Weeks is looking to keep the eighth grade unit on depression and suicide “current” by attending professional development opportunities in order to “bring back the newest information from the mental health community.” He said having updated information will be beneficial to students.
“The first responders to this type of incident is almost always students,” said Sallee. “Teens are rarely telling adults first. Giving students some tools and basic guidelines is going to be key.”
School Committee member Rich Sjoberg inquired if Sallee is “comfortable” with being able to recognize students who are suicidal.
“I am never comfortable,” said Sallee. “It’s something I am always worried about. We try to do everything we can. I want us to get better so we don’t miss anything.”
Sallee said students were reporting “high stress rates” is another concern. He said 34 percent of students reported school demands caused the most stress in their lives. He said 28 percent of responders attributed their busy schedules to causing a great deal of stress.
“We are looking to do more whole school and grade level type work around stress management in order to help students develop the skills they need as they get busier and busier,” said Sallee.
Sallee said the middle school is looking to bring in guest speakers as well as providing teacher training to help students deal with anxiety and stress. He said the middle school will be looking to offer workshops in order to help students “when they are getting overwhelmed.”
The middle school assistant principal said bullying and social conflict is another area of concern. He noted 15 percent of students were bullied electronically and 29 percent said they were bullied on school grounds.
“Those numbers have come down since the last time we did the survey, but that is an area we want to make progress for our students,” said Sallee.
Sallee said the middle school wants to help students recognize social conflict and give them conflict resolution skills.
“At some point in middle school, students have their first serious peer conflicts,” said Sallee. “They don’t always experience those in elementary school.”
School Committee Chairman Tim Doyle inquired how often social conflict takes place on school grounds and how often it occurs outside of school.
Sallee said it’s “hard to tell” where social conflict originates.
“I would say greater 50 percent of what I deal with are things that happen in school,” said Sallee. “Occasionally, I get things that happen outside of school. But usually there is some spillover that happens in school, which is when it comes to me.”
Sallee also said he would like the middle school to develop a social-emotional learning program similar to the program at Huckleberry Hill School.
“That is something we don’t have at the middle school level,” said Sallee. “We have a lot of homegrown ways to address problems.”
In response to a question from School Committee Vice Chairwoman Dorothy Presser, Sallee said LMS officials will be evaluating social-emotional learning programs at area middle schools.
Sjoberg inquired if the middle school will be able to develop a social-emotional program by the start of next year.
Sallee said he would like the middle school to “pilot and try some things.” He noted getting the staff trained with a program before August is a challenge.
“I want to move quickly, but I don’t want to rush it and do something that is not effective,” said Sallee.
Sjoberg encouraged Sallee “to put a little more gas on that engine so we don’t lose another year.”
Sallee said the middle school is working to address social conflict at the middle school, but said LMS has not purchased a specific curriculum.
While the middle school is not seeing “high numbers” of students abusing alcohol and drugs, Sallee said the middle school wants to expand its programs in order to prevent substance abuse. He said the middle school wants to partner with A Healthy Lynnfield as well.
LHS
Lynnfield High School Principal Brian Bates said the biggest concerns in the wake of the survey’s results are mental health, vaping and sex education.
Similar to the middle school’s results, Bates said 8 percent of high school students considered attempting suicide and 2 percent attempted suicide.
“So far this year, there have been three students hospitalized for suicide attempts,” said Bates. “Typically in a given year, there are about six.”
Bates said 33 percent of students reported most of their stress was caused by a busy schedule and 32 percent attributed stress to “school demands and expectations.”
The LHS assistant principal said high school guidance and adjustment counselors have attended SOS training sessions. Bates and several teachers have enrolled in an online mindfulness course as part of the high school’s plan to implement a mindfulness course next year. Bates said the high school is looking to expand its support groups for students as well.
Bates said “vaping is a hot topic across the area.” He said 30 percent of students have tried vaping and 23 percent of students are currently vaping.
“I believe there is a much higher number of our students vaping, but it’s not being reported,” said Bates.
Bates said the Compass program has been focusing on vaping as well as alcohol, drugs and tobacco. He said the high school wants to expand programing in order to help prevent incoming freshmen from getting into vaping. He noted students caught vaping are disciplined, but said more education is needed.
“It’s going to be a big topic during our Wellness Days,” said Bates. “We are going to create a table about the dangers of vaping.”
Presser inquired if more students are vaping than smoking cigarettes.
“By far,” said Bates. “I have never found a student on campus with a cigarette. I have found them with vapes.”
Bates said the survey revealed 20 percent of high school students said they have had sexual intercourse. He said 18 percent reported using drugs and/or alcohol before their last sexual experience. He said 6 percent of students reported not using any methods of birth control.
The high school assistant principal noted a number of students have requested receiving more sex education at the high school.
“I know we have that at the middle school, but we are looking to implement it at the high school,” said Bates. “Our physical education teachers are currently working on coming up with a curriculum.”
Teaching and Learning Director Kevin Cyr said it’s rare for a high school in Massachusetts to not be teaching sex education. He said state law will allow parents to opt out of the sex education program.
