I attended safety meetings at both 9-R and Animas High School. Emotions are high and I commend everyone who is working so hard to keep our students safe physically and supported emotionally.
What came through loud and clear is that the best way to avoid a tragedy is to prevent individual despair. Our children attend Animas, where the small class sizes and school structure allow all the students to be well-known to each other and to the staff. Students are fortunate to enjoy incredibly close relationships with their teachers, weekly meetings with their advisor and peer advisory group and real access to a terrific counselor.
It’s a great model that addresses many student needs, but it is limited. Schools are designed to be places of learning – not crisis centers. We have to invest in the social resources desperately needed by our youth and take that burden off of our schools.
Teachers are remarkable people who are helping us mold our children into successful adults. But they are educators. They aren’t meant to be policemen, family crisis counselors, substance abuse professionals, suicide prevention experts or human shields. They aren’t trained to be all of those things and they certainly aren’t paid to be. Teachers are our first line of defense to identify students in need, but it’s not their job to meet all of those needs. It’s ours as a community.
Leigh Bright
Durango
