2014-11-CYR-rpt - Laserfiche WebLink

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I. FRAMING THE ISSUE 1. Stress is taking its toll on Lexington's youth According to the 2013 Youth Risky Behavior Survey: • 55 LHS students recently tried to commit suicide (at least once) in the past 12 months • 247 (15% of those surveyed) seriously considered suicide—the highest level in a decade • Harassment at school and through social media was the strongest predictor of suicide ideation • 60% reported "extreme" or "a lot" of stress due to classes • 83% of students felt the atmosphere of the school encouraged academic competition 2. The key is to reduce unnecessary stress while maintaining academic standards and a healthy balance for youth • Not all stress is bad. The stress from challenging oneself just the right amount is a good and necessary kind of stress. But too much stress is physically and emotionally unhealthy and can lead to risky behavior. • Some stress is simply unnecessary—and parents, teachers and students can do something about it. Sources of unnecessary stress include academic, extracurricular, peer, family, and social pressure. • If students are not subjected to too much stress, particularly unnecessary stress, they will learn more, perform better, and be healthier. • Reducing stress for students will not compromise academic standards or student achievement. Rather, having less stress can actually improve students' academic performance and success. • Efforts to reduce student stress should also include efforts to reduce teacher/staff stress. Less stressed teachers are more effective teachers and they can model stress reduction behaviors for their students. 3. This is a community issue that requires leadership • It's not just about the schools—This is a community problem requiring a community response that involves parents, students, town and the community, as well as schools. • There must be more visible leadership and more effective organization within both the Lexington Public Schools and the Town Government to address stress and youth at risk. And there should be more coordination between the Town and LPS. • Schools are doing a lot to serve youth with emotional issues, but Town services for youth are seriously under-resourced relative to comparable communities. • While efforts in the schools require district-wide leadership and organization, effective solutions also require a "bottoms up" approach with heavy teacher and staff involvement. • More effective communications to the community is needed from LPS and the Town.