MPY Massachusetts Partnership for

YouthPositive Alternatives to

Student SuspensionDecember 4th, 2019Michelle D. Muffett-Lipinski, M Ed

Principal, Northshore Recovery High School/ Northshore Education Consortium

Overview of Presentation• 1. Review adolescent data: National Trends,

Anxiety, Depression/Suicide, Substance Use, Trauma

• 2. What is the law? Chapter 222, 37, 37½, 37¾.

How does your school suspend?

• 3. Who is getting suspended?

• 4. Culture and Climate. DESE

• 5. What can we do differently?

Objectives for Today• Participants will be able to articulate why suspension is

problematic and typically fails to lead to desired

outcomes for the district, the student, and the family.

• Participants will be able to identify key elements of

positive alternatives to suspension program that is

trauma-informed.

• Participants will be able to identify strategies that school

leaders can use to create a school culture that reduces

the need for suspension.

• Participants will understand the importance of creating

policies and procedures using a trauma-informed lens.

High Stakes

• https://www.recoveryhighfilm.org

NCES (National Center for Educational Statistics) 2017 Findings

Anxiety• According to the National Institutes of Health,

nearly 1 in 3 of all adolescents ages 13 to 18 will

experience an anxiety disorder. These numbers

have been rising steadily; between 2007 and 2012,

anxiety disorders in children and teens went up 20%.

Why Anxiety?• High expectations and pressure to succeed. Between standardized

testing and a culture of achievement, today's youth can feel pressure to succeed in ways previous generations did not. A survey done every year by Higher Education Research asks incoming college freshmen if they feel overwhelmed by all they have to do. In 2016, 41% of students said "yes" compared with 28% in 2000 and 18% in 1985.

• A world that feels scary and threatening. We've seen an increase in school shootings, with resultant drills and lockdowns in schools. We've seen shootings in public places. There have been terrorist attacks here in the US and around the world taking many lives. From just watching or reading the news, it is reasonable for anyone to feel afraid in public spaces that previously would have felt safe.

• Social media. Today's children and teens are constantly connected to social media. It's not surprising that their self-esteem―and worldview ―becomes connected to responses to social media posts. It's hard for them not to compare their life and social connections to what they see others posting on social media

Depression• For youth, major depression increased 52 percent

from 2005 to 2017 – from 8.7 percent to13.2 percent,

and it rose 63 percent in young adults ages 18 to 25

from 2009 (8.1 percent) to 2017 (13.2 percent).

Why Depression?• 1. A modern-day diagnosis.

• As an article in Johns Hopkins Health Review explains, adolescent depression is a relatively new diagnosis. Until the 1980s, mental health professionals were reluctant to diagnose youth with a mood disorder in part because the adolescent brain is still developing and they thought it would not be appropriate to diagnose someone so young with depression. Also, professionals believed that teen moodiness was perfectly normal during what is often referred to as the turbulent years.

• 2. Hyper-connected and overstimulated.

• There’s no doubt about it, today’s teens are hyper-connected. Electronic devices are so intertwined with youth’s lives that the real world and virtual world coincide. With over 95 percent of teens having access to a smartphone and 45 percent online "almost constantly," according to a Pew Research Center study, more and more teens are turning to the internet for social support and social comparison.

Depression• 3. Uncertain times.

• Each generation is influenced and shaped by the history of the time. Today’s youth have grown up in the grim shadows of post-9-11. Unfortunately, this generation knows all too well the fear of terrorism. Whether it be a lone shooter or mass terrorist attack, our nation’s youth have come to know and live with violence in their lives. From concerts to malls and restaurants to schools, today’s youth understand the stark reality that they live in a time where their sense of security can instantly be stripped away by heinous and cowardly attacks of others.

• 4. Not enough sleep.

• Sleep disturbance, described as insomnia or hypersomnia, is one of the primary symptoms of major depressive disorder. Teens are notoriously sleep-deprived, only getting about seven hours of the National Sleep Foundation’s recommended 8.5 to 9.25 hours. Time and time again, studies have indicated that youth aren’t getting enough sleep, and that can lead to a depressed mood, moodiness and irritability

Depression• 5. Lack of community.• We live in stressful times. Our modern lifestyles highlight our hectic day-to-

day routines, and that spills over into the lives of our children. With the go-go mentality, our community has dwindled, and as a result, our face-to-face connections have decreased.

• Our lives are becoming more structured and organized. Before we became a technologically reliant and fast-paced society, our kids engaged in more unstructured play, ate less processed foods and exercised on a daily basis, but those times are fading. Today’s kids report that they feel rushed to do things and pressured to be successful.

• Youth depression is a concern plaguing our nation, so much so that the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force has recommended that primary caregivers screen adolescents ages 12 to 18 for major depressive disorder. Unfortunately, this doesn’t always happen. Not only should medical personnel help with identifying teen depression, but the responsibility should fall on all of us. We need to create healthy and trusting relationships with our youth, and in the process revive our community.

Suicide• Suicide is a Leading Cause of Death in the United

States According to the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention (CDC) WISQARS Leading Causes of

Death Reports, in 2017:o Suicide was the tenth leading cause of death overall in the United States,

claiming the lives of over 47,000 people.

o Suicide was the second leading cause of death among individuals

between the ages of 10 and 34, and the fourth leading cause of death

among individuals between the ages of 35 and 54.

o There were more than twice as many suicides (47,173) in the United States

as there were homicides (19,510).

Suicide

Suicide

Substance Use/Vaping

Marijuana Use

Daily Marijuana/Perception of

Risk• Among 12th graders, around six (5.8) percent

continue to report daily use of marijuana, which corresponds to about one in 16 high school seniors. Among all grades, perceptions of harm and disapproval of marijuana use have trended downward in recent years. One in four 12th graders report that regular marijuana use poses a great risk (26.7 percent, which is less than half of what it was 20 years ago), and disapproval among 12th graders remains somewhat high, with 66.7 percent reporting they disapprove of adults smoking marijuana regularly.