| In 2006 the news contained 22 incidents
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| | of Maryland)).
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| of school violence and reports show that
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| | 2) Early screening of children with
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| violence in some major US cities was
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| | behavior problems to determine the
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| higher last year than it has been in
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| | services that are needed
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| decades. Violence among females and
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| | 3) Major reform and coordination of the
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| pre-teens is also rising, and the US has
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| | Educational, Mental Health, Juvenile
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| a greater violence rate than any other
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| | Justice, Criminal Justice, and Social
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| Western Nation. As a country, we need to
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| | Services systems.
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| act now to stop this epidemic.
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| | Youth at risk for violence have problems
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| Most Americans put their faith in the
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| | in multiple areas of life, such as school
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| penal system. We think that by investing
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| | failure, behavior, mental health, and
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| money in jails and rehabilitation
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| | social skills. Helping them in one area
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| centers, we will be able to cut down on
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| | and ignoring other problems is not
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| violence and deter future criminals. It
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| | sufficient to solve the problem.
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| is necessary to place these offenders in
| |
| | Patricia Crowther, a pioneer in
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| jails and prisons to protect society;
| |
| | school-based mental health, believes that
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| however, in order to substantially cut
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| | there are an astounding number of
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| down on future violence, we must shift
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| | children who need mental health services,
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| our focus and invest time and money into
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| | but never receive them. "One of the most
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| more resources for prevention and
| |
| | pressing and plaguing problems presented
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| intervention.
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| | to educators," she says, "is the ever
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| USA Today reported that cities, such as
| |
| | increasing number of children, who
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| Cincinnati, Houston, New York, Chicago,
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| | despite an inherent ability to learn are
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| Oakland, Philadelphia, and New Haven, had
| |
| | not benefiting from a regular classroom
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| higher murder rates in 2006 than in prior
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| | teaching experience as shown by their
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| years ("Murders are up in New York,
| |
| | continuing academic underachievement."
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| several other U.S. cities for 2006," USA
| |
| | She believes that the student's lack of
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| Today, December 28, 2006).
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| | improvement is often due to unaddressed
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| Authorities blame this violence on issues
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| | mental health, stress, family, and trauma
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| surrounding respect, revenge, reputation,
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| | issues that could also lead to future
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| and romance. Others say it is the
| |
| | delinquent and violent acts.
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| availability of firearms. While either
| |
| | Studies have shown that only 16 percent
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| explanation may be true, we need to look
| |
| | of all children receive any mental health
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| deeper at societal issues, such as
| |
| | services. Of that same 16 percent, 70-80
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| violence in American families and
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| | percent receive that care in a school
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| schools. For example: Shortly after
| |
| | setting (Health In School Organization).
|
| ringing in the New Year, the news carried
| |
| | "The burden of suffering experienced by
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| reports of 2007's first school shooting.
| |
| | children with mental health needs and
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| Douglas Chanthabouly, 18, was taken into
| |
| | their families has created a health
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| custody for the shooting of Samnang Kok,
| |
| | crisis in this country," writes David
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| 17, at Henry Foss High School. Now there
| |
| | Satcher, MD, PhD in his "Report of the
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| are reports of two teens cooking a puppy
| |
| | Surgeon General's Conference on
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| in an oven, one teen stabbing and killing
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| | Children's Mental Health: A National
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| another, and a group of teens beating
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| | Action Agenda." Clearly our violence
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| three teen girls severely last Halloween.
| |
| | problem is a public health crisis, as
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| Children should feel safe school, and yet
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| | well, and it must be fixed.
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| far too many do not. While most schools
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| | As a solution, we can continue to spend
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| have emergency and evacuation plans for
| |
| | more money on trials and jails. However,
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| what to do during and after the crisis of
| |
| | we must also put more money into
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| a school shooting, how many have
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| | prevention, identification, and therapy
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| prevention plans?
| |
| | for troubled youth and their families.
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| School prevention plans should include
| |
| | Money spent in pre-school programs with
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| three elements:
| |
| | family involvement, home visiting
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| 1) Immediate and easy access to mental
| |
| | programs, and school based mental health
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| health services for all troubled youth
| |
| | programs is well spent and has
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| and their families (Only 10% of all
| |
| | demonstrated great results. It's time to
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| school districts in the US currently have
| |
| | take a stand and do more to prevent
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| an established School Based Mental Health
| |
| | violence in this country.
|
| Programs. (CSMHA - Dr. Weist, University
| |
| |
|
