AASD discusses mental health

Town hall forum highlights efforts to foster students’ emotional well-being

Students are maturing and being exposed to a lot of things going on in the world earlier than previous generations, Altoona Area School Superintendent Brad Hatch said at a town hall last week.

Trends in society, the onset of social media and being in relationships bear that out, he said. Mental health struggles are being seen in younger students and are becoming more intense.

"Our younger students, junior high and high school, are having adult-level issues," Hatch said.

When in-house counseling services are not enough, AASD turns to its partnerships with organizations like UPMC Behavioral Health, Blair Family Solutions, Blair County Drug and Alcohol, Impact Counseling Services and LaRocco Counseling to address the evolving needs.

One program, the "Say It" initiative, currently serves about 365 students in junior high and high school and is expected to grow throughout the year.

Hatch and assistant superintendents Mark Harrington and Haley Fleegle gave their insight on mental health in the school with the help of an expert Wednesday night.

"Say It" is designed to provide support and resources for students dealing with challenges that affect their well-being inside and outside the classroom.

Last year alone, over 700 students were referred through the "Say It" program.

Hatch acknowledged the support available in the region but stressed that it is still insufficient to meet the growing demand.

Leslie Turner, a counselor with Impact Counseling Services who has over 30 years of experience working with adolescents, went into further detail about the current mental health landscape.

"Some of the things we are seeing in kids today are at a much different level. I listen to them at a higher level than we used to," she said.

Students are experiencing things that no generation prior has.

"I know it is a hard pill to swallow, but that is the reality," Turner said.

Stressors like bullying, peer pressure, academic struggles, athletics, activities, drug and alcohol use and mental health issues have become the norm, and the situation is further exacerbated by social media's influence.

Turner highlighted the increase in drug and alcohol use among young people, with marijuana being directly targeted at youth.

Watching adults

She also noted the traumatic experiences that many children face affect them, such as witnessing parental overdoses.

"We have kids going home to people that are not even their parents -- some are being raised by friends of friends because the parents are incarcerated or have died of an overdose," Turner said.

While this might have happened 10 years ago, the numbers today are staggering, Turner said.

Social media, despite its benefits, has also introduced new stressors, particularly in the form of bullying in person or online.

"Bullying carries on now in school and at home; kids today never get a break from it," she said.

Turner said she is glad to not be an adolescent now because everything they do is there for everyone to see, with phones being everywhere.

"Eighty percent of kids have experienced a significant trauma in their life by the age of 14. I think that is contributing to a lot of what we are seeing," Hatch said.

Turner said parents are struggling too, with many people still reeling from the effects of the pandemic, when the world shut down and everything changed.

"Our kids had no idea what to do with it because we did not know either," she said. "We were all stressed, so of course my kids are going to be as well."

Turner said for kids, there is no hiding from what is happening in the world today. "I have kids asking if there is going to be a World War III now."

The thing is parents worry about these things too, she said.

Shaken soda

Because people are constantly engrossed in things that are not good for them, everything has taken them to a heightened level of fear and anxiety.

"We are all walking around like a shaken up can of Pepsi," Turner said.

With social media, kids can also isolate.

"The angle is so are the parents. They are engaged on social media as much as their kids are," she said.

Hatch asked if Turner had noticed a decline in parenting or allowing children to be left alone or tied to their phones because it keeps them occupied.

"They are not being disruptive; it is the dangers of the unknown of what is going on at that time," he said.

Hatch said more screen time also is connected to spending less time engaged with their peers.

Turner suggested that finding a balance with social media is crucial.

She recommended periods of disconnection to help alleviate the constant state of anxiety that both young and old experience.

The AASD has implemented various initiatives to address these issues, including therapy dogs, mindfulness, yoga and meditation programs for students and staff. Self-care for teachers has also been prioritized to ensure that they can better support students facing these stressors.

Turner was there on the day they had the therapy dogs and noticed that the students were calm and respectful toward the animals.

In the discussion, Deborah Santella brought up the potential role of spirituality, expressing concerns about a decline in youth engagement with church and youth groups.

Hatch said he noticed a decline in the number of youth involved in activities related to church, and getting them to a youth group, where they can connect with others, is a challenge.

He said that he also recognized the challenge and emphasized the importance of finding ways to help students connect and feel a sense of belonging.

Mirror Staff Writer Cati Keith is at 814-946-7535.