As I wrap up my workday, I turn on the news to see that our country was shaken by yet another tragic school shooting, this time in Georgia. As I reflect on the news, I’m filled with both heartbreak and frustration. Once again, we're left to grieve, sending thoughts and prayers while the same debates play out on repeat. It’s always the same: calls for action met with "Now is not the time to talk about it." If now isn’t the time, I can’t help but ask, when is? How many more lives have to be shattered before we move past the political gridlock and actually do something?
I’m not here to debate gun control or say which side I’m on because, frankly, the problem is much bigger than that. Regardless of where you stand, the fact that school shootings have become so common speaks to deeper issues we continue to ignore. Mental health is one of the most critical aspects of this crisis that we aren't addressing with enough urgency, especially within our schools.
I have two kids in high school right now and high schools have become battlegrounds for mental health. Kids today face levels of pressure many of us never encountered growing up. Social media has amplified bullying to vicious levels. What used to be confined to hallways now follows kids home, haunting them through their phones and laptops. They’re inundated with images of perfection, feeling like they don’t measure up. Peer pressure, identity struggles, academic demands, all create a perfect storm for mental health crises in adolescents.
And while this is happening, we're not doing nearly enough to support our kids mentally and emotionally. Sure, we talk about anti-bullying campaigns and safer environments, but talk isn't enough. Mental health resources in schools are woefully inadequate. A high school with 3,000 students might have a handful of counselors, if they’re lucky. Some schools don’t even have a full-time psychologist. How can we expect to address the mental health crisis when the few qualified staff we do have are drowning in caseloads?
Early detection of mental health issues could be one of our greatest tools in preventing future tragedies. But that requires resources many schools simply don’t have. It also requires the will to make mental health a priority. We need comprehensive mental health screenings for every student and environments where students feel safe speaking up without fear of stigma.
We need to train teachers to recognize warning signs and provide more mental health professionals in schools. It’s not enough to talk about anti-bullying or stress management. Real support starts with treating mental health as a priority in education.
We owe it to our kids to give them a chance to survive at school, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. That means committing to mental health support that goes beyond lip service, putting pressure on school boards and governments to fund programs and hire qualified professionals. It means taking action before another tragedy forces us to have this same conversation again.
We must do better. Until we address the root causes of the mental health crisis in our schools, kids will continue to slip through the cracks, and sometimes, the results are deadly. Let’s stop waiting for the "right time" to talk about this. The right time is now.
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