A single mom was shocked after her 15-year-old daughter was sentenced to Juvenile Hall for failing to finish her homework. Mother Charisse said, “It just doesn’t make any sense.”
But it made sense to Judge Mary Ellen Brennan of Oakland County, Michigan, who previously placed the teenager on probation following theft and assault charges with a strict warning, as ProPublica reported.
Judge Brennan explained, “I told her she was on thin ice, and I told her that I was going to hold her to the letter of the probation.” Brennan mandated that Grace submit to GPS tracking, case worker visitation, phone and internet restrictions, counseling and maintaining her schoolwork.
Grace was incarcerated at the Children’s Village juvenile detention center in suburban Detroit after the judge discovered she violated her probation by not completing her online coursework when her school switched from on-site to remote learning during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Charisse expected the judge to cut Grace some grace, since her daughter’s ADHD and mood disorder required extra teacher support to help keep her on track with assignments. That assistance vanished without her in-person instruction.
On the other hand, new caseworker Rachel Giroux heard that Grace had fallen asleep during class and failed to turn in her homework. Giroux filed a violation of probation report on Grace, despite her teacher explained to Giroux that she was “not out of alignment with most of my other students.” Giroux recommended detention because Grace “clearly doesn’t want to abide by the rules in the community.”
In her ruling, Judge Brennan found Grace “guilty on failure to submit to any schoolwork and getting up for school” and called Grace a “threat to (the) community,” citing the assault and theft charges that led to her probation.
Our views of justice for Grace and whether or not her penalty fit her crime might vary, but one thing most of us can agree upon is this: America’s youth need help, and additional pressures from the pandemic are only exacerbating student’s problems.
ProPublica also reported, “Across the country, teachers, parents and students have struggled with the upheaval caused by school closures. School districts have documented tens of thousands of students who failed to log in or complete their schoolwork: 15,000 high school students in Los Angeles, one-third of the students in Minneapolis Public Schools and about a quarter of Chicago Public Schools students.”
According to a new analysis of Census Bureau data by the Pew Research Center, “Amid coronavirus outbreak, nearly three-in-ten young people [in the U.S.] are neither working nor in school.”
“As COVID-19 cases have surged in the United States, young adults face a weakening labor market and an uncertain educational outlook. Between February and June 2020, the share of young adults who are neither enrolled in school nor employed – a measure some refer to as the ‘disconnection rate’ – has more than doubled.” Did you catch that? More than doubled!
That “disconnection rate” has of course only increased anxiety, depression and even suicidal ideation among young people. Those tragic facts are found in the result of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) own Youth Risk Behavioral Surveillance System (YRBSS), which is a survey of 9th through 12th grade students.
WFMZ-TV News reported what the YRBSS revealed:
Currently, suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death for high school aged youth, as well as for youth ages 10 – 24. The four questions below are included in the YRBSS and relate to suicidal thinking. The national statistics are provided.
- Have you experienced the feeling of hopelessness and sadness for a constant period of two weeks or greater during the past twelve months (possible beginning of clinical depression)?36.7% answered YES or over 1 out of every 3 young people
- Have you seriously considered suicide in the past twelve months?18.8% answered YES or almost 1 out of every 5 young people.
- Have you made a plan to attempt suicide in the past twelve months?15.7% answered YES or almost 1 out of every 6 young people.
- Have you attempted suicide in the past twelve months?8.9% answered YES or almost 1 out of every 11 young people.
Click here to see the full YRBSS report that includes a state by state breakdown.
Dr. Nadine Kaslow, a professor of psychiatry at the Emory University School of Medicine, told USA Today: “We need to recognize the profound effects of the pandemic, … Those people whose symptoms of anxiety or depression, or substance use or suicidal ideations are really interfering with their functioning, where the symptoms are extreme, those people need help.”
As far as what each of us can do right now to stabilize our kids or grandkids, let us help them face the transition back to school with as strong a sense of normalcy as we can. Whether they are going back on site or online or for private or public education, Dr. Mary Alvord and the American Psychological Association gave parents and guardians this great practical advice:
- Practice the first day of school routine: Getting into a sleep routine before the first week of school will aide in easing the shock of waking up early. Organizing things at home – backpack, binder, lunchbox or cafeteria money – will help make the first morning go smoothly. Having healthy, yet kid-friendly lunches will help keep them energized throughout the day. Also, walking through the building and visiting your child’s locker and classroom will help ease anxiety of the unknown.
- Get to know your neighbors: If your child is starting a new school, walk around your block and get to know the neighborhood children. Try and set up a play date, or, for an older child, find out where neighborhood kids might go to safely hang out, like the community pool, recreation center or park.
- Talk to your child: Asking your children about their fears or worries about going back to school will help them share their burden. Inquire as to what they liked about their previous school or grade and see how those positives can be incorporated into their new experience.
- Empathize with your children: Change can be difficult, but also exciting. Let your children know that you are aware of what they’re going through and that you will be there to help them in the process. Nerves are normal, but highlight that not everything that is different is necessarily bad. It is important to encourage your children to face their fears instead of falling into the trap of encouraging avoidance.
- Get involved and ask for help: Knowledge of the school and the community will better equip you to understand your child’s surroundings and the transition he or she is undergoing. Meeting members of your community and school will foster support for both you and your child. If you feel the stress of the school year is too much for you and your child to handle on your own, seeking expert advice from a mental health professional, such as a marriage & family therapist or psychologist, will help you better manage and cope.
For the sake of our posterity and future generations, we – parents, families, teachers and community leaders, must work together. We must do all we can do to protect and provide for their welfare and to assure they grow up to be responsible adults. We all must do our best to reach and love the youth in our spheres of influence, using our greatest potential to bring about their greatest amount of good.
And speaking of great good, let’s all commend the U.S. Marshals, who found 39 missing children in Georgia in “Operation Not Forgotten” over the last two weeks. Nine suspects face a total of 26 charges, including sex offender violations and trafficking.
“When we track down fugitives, it’s a good feeling to know that we’re putting the bad guy behind bars,” said Darby Kirby, chief of the Missing Child Unit. “But that sense of accomplishment is nothing compared to finding a missing child.”
Fox News reported, “‘Operation Not Forgotten’ involved months of planning before it began, authorities said. Other agencies involved include the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Georgia’s Office of the Attorney General, the state’s departments of Family and Children Services and of Juvenile Justice, the FBI and Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.”
I might play a tough guy who protects victims from bad guys on screen, but in real life I’m also an advocate for those who are at-risk, too, particularly through our KickStartKids foundation. My wife, Gena, and I consider KickStartKids our life’s mission. KickStartKids’ purpose is to build strong moral character in our youth through the martial arts. Our goal is to help raise self-esteem and instill discipline and respect that so many children are lacking today.
We all need to deploy on our own “Operation Not Forgotten,” making sure to intentionally engage, encourage and empower the young people in our spheres of influence. They need us more than ever before.
And let us never forget what research has long established: People (including kids) who are religious are less likely to suffer from anxiety, depression or exhaustion, according to Dr Roxane Gervais, a psychologist at the Health and Safety Laboratory in Stockport, England. Dr. Gervais says this is so because spirituality offers a “buffer against strains” of modern life.
In doing the above, we can help the youth of America rediscover what our founders long ago declared: that they too are “endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
