Category: Social Emotional Wellbeing and Climate
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Judge allows Kanawha students with disabilities case to become a class-action lawsuit
This article was published on The Charleston Gazette-Mail by Ryan Quinn on August 25, 2021. A federal judge has opened the door to allowing an ongoing lawsuit to dramatically change the way Kanawha County public schools must support children with disabilities and behavioral issues. U.S. District Judge Irene Berger ruled Tuesday that what was a 2020 lawsuit filed by…
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SPLC asks federal government to act on school discipline disparities
This article was published on the Alabama Political Reporter by Eddie Burkhalter on July 27, 2021. Disciplinary policies in U.S. public schools disproportionately impact children of color, the disabled and LGBTQ youth, the SPLC Action Fund wrote to the U.S. Department of Education last week. The comments, submitted to the Department of Education’s Office for…
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From the Hulk to Pokemon: ‘Geek therapy’ is helping Lehigh Valley students unlock emotional superpowers
This article was published on The Morning Call by Daniel Patrick Sheehan on July 24, 2021. Hulk smashes, yes, but he also feels lousy afterwards, when he reverts to being mild-mannered Bruce Banner and surveys the wreckage. Therapist Jason Frei explores that lesson to great effect with children at Northampton Area Middle School who struggle…
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Disability rights group calls for policy review after Fort Worth student’s death
This article was published on the Fort Worth Star-Telegram by Silas Allen on July 5, 2021. A group for people with disabilities is calling for an independent review of the Fort Worth school district’s restraint policies following the death of a student with autism. Xavier Hernandez, 21, died March 1 at John Peter Smith Hospital. Fort…
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Critics: Reallocate funds for better mental health services in Lexington Two
This article was published on WLTX by Alicia Neaves on June 18, 2021. CAYCE, S.C. — Parents, former students and social justice groups are calling for better mental health services for students with special needs in Lexington School District Two. This comes after an elementary student with disabilities was put in handcuffs by a district School…
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State education department to help fund more school counselors statewide
This article was published on Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise by Kim Archer on May 31, 2021. After years of advocating for more school counselors in districts across the state, Oklahoma State Superintendent Joy Hofmeister has found the funding to establish a School Counselor Corps to provide additional mental health resources for Oklahoma students. The state Department of…
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A JCPS Policy Change Would Make It Harder, Not Impossible, To Suspend Young Kids
This article was published on WFPL by Jess Clark on May 25, 2021. Leah Wensink’s nine-year-old son loves to learn. The third-grader is a fact-book aficionado, and will often surprise his parents with the details he picks up. “He’s a really incredible kid,” Wensink said. “He’s wise beyond his years, but then also has deficits…
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‘It’s barbaric’: some US children getting hit at school despite bans
This article was published on The Guardian by Mark Keierleber on May 19, 2021. When a Florida elementary school principal was caught on video spanking a six-year-old girl with a wooden paddle last month, it sparked national outrage and a criminal investigation. But for those who believed the principal should face arrest, a state prosecutor’s…
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George Floyd Isn’t Alone — Thousands of MN Students Are Restrained at School Each Year
This article was published on The 74 Million by Mark Keierleber on April 20, 2021. This story is published in partnership with The Guardian A jury found Derek Chauvin guilty of murder on Tuesday following a closely watched trial that centered on the former Minneapolis police officer’s use of physical restraint that prosecutors said killed George…