Funding for students begging ‘Help me!’

On the day that 15-year-old Ethan Crumbley opened fire in his Michigan high school, a teacher found a graphic drawing of gun violence with disturbing phrases. The most haunting, however, were two simple words: “Help me!”

Without exception, every school shooter exhibited troubling signs before they did the unthinkable. Many, like Ethan, begged for help but were ignored. Others simply exhibited obsession with violence or other troubling behavior. ALL of these children need help, however, even if they never pick up a gun, and Oklahoma has a unique opportunity to build such support without any increases in funding.

Only a tiny number of children become school shooters, but we still have a lot of kids who need help. Our public schools face a rapidly growing mental health crisis involving students who are troubled, disturbed, and increasingly violent. They need special interventions, for their sake and the sake of other students and staff in our schools. So, how many kids are troubled and need special support?

Oklahoma State Department of Education’s Annual School Incidents Report compiles statistics on discipline issues in Oklahoma schools. According to the latest report from the 2021-22 school year, 14,612 incidents resulted in out-of-school suspension for one or more days due to violent incidents not involving firearms. These incidents potentially represent 2% of students, but this does not account for repeat offenses.

Another report, compiled by the Office of Educational Quality and Accountability, provides more perspective on the number of repeat offenders, which are often students suspended for more than 10 days. The latest OEQA data, from 2020, indicates that about one out of every 221 Oklahoma students received long-term suspension, which is .45%. This number also aligns with the data I saw as an administrator with my own students. Therefore, only about onehalf of one percent of students create most of the discipline problems, violence, and disruption. These troubled students need special help, and we have funds available now.

Our State Department of Education has proposed a budget cut of $47 million for next school year, and our Governor has pledged to keep education funding flat. The state legislature can honor both requests by setting aside the $47 million in savings as matching funds to create local safe places for troubled students. That amounts to about $600,000 per county, which would only be a portion of the cost but a start. Local law enforcement, schools, and youth services would then pool matching resources through interlocal agreements to create local safe places for troubled students.

We know how to do this for the tiny fraction of our students who need temporary, local options to receive the right interventions. Troubled kids need help, and the remaining 99% deserve a school free of disruptions and violence. All Oklahoma children deserve a safe place, either to get the help they need or to be safe from violent and troubled students.

Oklahoma’s public schools are incredible places, but we have a tiny population who needs more than schools can provide. The problem is statewide, but the solutions must be local, so children can remain in their communities and with their families while they receive intervention. No one agency or entity can do this alone, but youth services, law enforcement, and local schools together can create local solutions with state help. Fortyseven million in matching funds would be a good start, and the impact could be transformational for our school –without increasing our budget.

Many children, parents, and educators are currently begging, “Help me.” Thankfully, few troubled kids will ever pick up a gun, but they still need help, and so do our schools. Oklahoma has a chance, without increasing funding, to do something that can improve every public school and help many troubled children escape their darkness. All Oklahoma students deserve safe places.

Tom Deighan is an educator and author of Restoring Sanity in Public Schools: Common Ground for Local Parents and Educators. Email: deighantom@ mailto:tom@gmail.com gmail.com.