PEORIA MAGAZINE January 2023

S P O T L I G H T

STUDENTS STRIVING TO COPE Between COVID, social media and other pressures, many children are stressed, and school districts are stepping up

BY LINDA SMITH BROWN PHOTOS BY RON JOHNSON

responsible decision-making abilities. The curriculum, meanwhile, assists school staff in identifying students in need of extra support, as well as providing activities and conversation starters for teachers trying to reach kids and build a rapport with them. But it all begins with relationship building. ‘IF STUDENTS ARE HAPPY, Student needs vary, said Hart, director of student services at the Dunlap School District. “Some may need a coat or they need food on the weekend,” she said. “If stu dents arehappy, fedand feel loved, they’re going to produce somuchmore for you.” Dunlap tests students in third through ninth grades three times a year, evaluating them for signs of the need for an individual education program. “If a student has anxiety or depression, does that student need extra time on a test? What’s it going to take for that student to be successful?” Hart asked. Other accommodations may include giving a struggling student access to breaks, preferential classroom seating FED, LOVED, THEY’RE GOING TO PRODUCE’

to limit distractions, study guides before a test, and/or a staff member they can talk to. “We want all kids to graduate,” Hart said. “We want to make plans for them after high school.” THE NUMBERS TELL A HEARTBREAKING STORY The State of Illinois requires every school district to develop a policy for incorporating social and emotional de velopment and protocols for responding to children trying to cope with life’s challenges. Michelle Coconate, director of social emotional support services for the Peoria Regional Office of Education, points to mental health information from JAMA Pediatrics highlighting the need for SEL: • 3.85 million U.S. children have unmet mental health needs. • Only 51% of U.S. children and youth with amental health problemactually receive mental health treatment. • Nearly three-f ifths of students receive mental health services in a school setting. Schools often function as the de facto mental health system for children and adolescents.

Alyssa Hart, director of student services, Dunlap School District “

S ome students just need to eat, come to school and they’re ready to learn,” saidAlyssaHart. But for millions of American children, it’s not so simple. Every day, young people come to class troubled by life issues or mental health conditions that prevent them from being able to concentrate and to learn at their full potential. For the last two decades, Social Emotional Learning (SEL) curricula have been instituted in schools across the country, identifying students in need of counseling, support services and/or special accommodations to help them get the most out of their school day. Its goals are to help students develop social and sel f-awareness, sel f management, relationship skills and

24 JANUARY 2023 PEORIA MAGAZINE