BY: BEANIE GEOGHEGAN
During a recent meeting of the Efficient and Effective School District Governance Task Force in Jefferson County, one of the issues the committee members focused on was behavior. There was little disagreement that student behavior has worsened in recent years. Behavior was the number one reason JCPS found itself with a bus driver shortage in recent years, causing students to miss a week of school last fall.. Some members suggested more “mental health supports” to deal with this issue. I would argue that students don’t need more “mental health supports.” They need to know there are clear rules and consequences that will be consistently enforced. They need to know that adults, not students, are in charge. We need to stop labeling everything a “mental health issue” and start addressing the real issues.
In the early 2000s, restorative justice became the popular behavior model or form of discipline in tens of thousands of schools nationwide. After the Obama administration released its “guidelines on school discipline” in 2014, more schools felt pressured to adopt restorative practices to keep students in the classroom rather than face suspensions or expulsions due to their behavior. Two elements of this behavior model included increased school mental health professionals and billions of dollars invested in social-emotional programs to create “positive climates” for students. Rather than improve student behavior, it has worsened in the last decade.
Experienced teachers and administrators who see the consequences of these “guidelines” released by people who are insulated from or ignorant of the daily challenges schools face know what needs to happen but are often ignored or dismissed. When asked his thoughts on the issue recently, Justin Baeder, a former professor and Director of the Principal Center, “confidently asserted that the only way schools will see behavior improvements is by going back to the traditional rules and using them to hold the other things that they’re doing accountable.” Schools disregard the obvious solution even though it doesn’t require hiring more experts or specialists, as they wade deeper into mental health and further away from education.
Some students indeed suffer from trauma or mental health issues that lead to violent or aggressive behaviors. But the reality is that most who act out are simply testing the waters to see what they can get away with. Far too many have learned that they can get away with whatever they want without consequence and sometimes even be rewarded with extra attention. For the students who genuinely suffer from trauma, this environment only adds to their suffering. I previously noted that schools could be some students’ only respite from chaotic or violent homes. But, thanks to inconsistent rules and lack of consequences, they tend to be extensions of the chaos instead. More “mental health supports” won’t solve this problem.
Schools need to exit the mental health industry and return to their primary role of educating students. This will require establishing order, exercising authority, and holding students accountable for their behavior and learning. G.K. Chesterton would argue that schools don’t need more “mental health supports;” they need well-established and clear boundaries to thrive.
