Editor’s note: This is a reprint of a youth protection meeting hosted last school year. The information is pertinent as the students begin a new school year. At this time, I would also like to introduce a new program the Emery County Sheriff’s Office and the Emery County Progress is sponsoring. In an attempt to help look for answers for those who have attempted suicide and those considering it, a working group is being formed to help address these issues. Community members will be presenting and anyone in these situations is encouraged to attend the meetings. A kick-off event will be held in the near future. More information will be shared as it becomes available.
The Emery County School District hosted their annual youth protection seminar at Emery High School. Superintendant Larry Davis welcomed everyone to the event. Ashley Jensen introduced the members of the Emery Youth Coalition. The youth coalition is a substance abuse prevention program. They promote a healthy lifestyle and prevent substance abuse in teens. The coalition takes a look at the problems of our community and comes up with a plan to better help the community and school.
This year in conjunction with the SHARP survey, parents were given a survey about their childrens involvement in alcohol use. There was a difference between parents response and students response to the questions. The first question was, how much does a student risk if they take one or two drinks of an alcoholic beverage nearly every day? Eighty-four percent of parents said it was a great risk, while only 51 percent of students perceived it as a great risk.
The next question was, how much does a student risk if they take five or more drinks of an alcoholic beverage once or twice a week. Ninety-three percent of parents said it was a great risk and 61 percent of students said it was a great risk.
How wrong do you think it is for a teenager to drink. Parent response was 96 percent thought it was very wrong and 66 percent of students thought it was very wrong.
Ninety-seven percent of parents said they have set clear rules and expectations about not drinking any alcohol. This was compared to the student question, during the past year how often have you talked to at least one parent about the rules and expectations of no alcohol use? Thirty-two percent of students responded never and 18 percent responded their parents had not told them about no alcohol use in the past year.
Parents need to be involved in their children’s lives. They need to talk with their children about the dangers of alcohol and not assume their children know their expectations. Parents need to know what their children are doing at all times. Don’t underestimate the problem, 31 percent of kids who drank had parents who thought their children were non-drinkers.
Greg Cowan and Jonathan Fauver spoke on suicide prevention. The Hope squad started four years ago when we recognized the need for suicide prevention. In Carbon and Emery counties there were 11 suicides. This does not include overdose deaths. People who commit suicide feel everything is going wrong at once. This can be a loss of job, divorce and hopelessness. A person who experiences suicidal thoughts experiences them for a short period of time. Their vision on life is so bleak there are no other solutions. You can help by recognizing the signs to act. You can be the voice of reason. We want to reduce the stigma around mental health. QPR is a tool you can use if you think someone is contemplating suicide. The first step is to question. Ask the person questions. Have you been unhappy lately? Have you been so unhappy you wished you were dead? Have you ever wanted to stop living. Are you thinking about committing suicide. If you ask someone if they are thinking about committing suicide you are not putting the idea into their head.
Once the question has been asked most people thinking suicide want to talk. The next step is to persuade. Persuading someone not to commit suicide and get help begins with the simple act of listening. The goal of persuasion is simple. All we want is for the person to say yes to getting help.
Refer is the final step. The best referral is when you personally take the person you are worried about to the mental health provider. The next best referral is when the person agrees to see a professional and you know they will keep their appointment. The third best referral is getting the person to agree to accept help, even if it is in the future. If you don’t know who to refer the person to call 1-800-SUICIDE .
Ryan Maughan presented on child sexual abuse. Utah tax payers spend about one billion dollars annually. Ninety percent of sexual abuse is committed by someone the child knows. One in four girls will experience sexual abuse and one in six boys will experience sexual abuse. Child sex abuse is the highest form of substantiated abuse reported in Utah annually.
Sexual abuse is separated into two categories, touching and non-touching. Some warning signs of child abuse are: symptoms of anxiety, bed-wetting, personality mood or behavior changes, refusal to discuss secrets, self-destructive behaviors, sexual knowledge that is not age appropriate. These behaviors are red flags of sexual abuse. A child might show these signs for reasons other than sexual abuse.
Teach your child appropriate situations when someone may need to touch a child’s private parts. They include changing a diaper, teaching a child to bathe or use a toilet, going to the doctor and applying medication.
Teach your children personal safety. Emphasize your child’s right to body privacy, every child is in charge of their own body. Help your child develop self-worth, confidence and dignity at every opportunity. Let your child know they can tell you anything and that you will listen to them. Make sure you know your child’s friends and their friend’s families. Have your chid make a list of at least three adults they can trust and go to for help if needed.
Teach your children safety rules and what to do if they feel unsafe or uncomfortable. Listen to your “Uh-Oh” feeling and recognize anything that makes you feel unsafe. Say “No” and resist by saying no and getting away. Go tell! Report it to a trusted adult. Everyone is responsible for protecting children by reporting suspected child abuse. To make a child abuse report call 855-232-3237.
Doug Johnson presented on internet safety. There will be training available for parents on the district website. A good resource for parents and grandparents is netsafeutah.org. Johnson offered the following tips. Keep your computer in an open area of the house and not a private room. Ask your kids what they are looking at when they are on the internet. Check the computer browse history. If the history is empty it may indicate your child is looking at content you wouldn’t approve. Tell your kids to be careful with their personal information. Do not give out their addresses, passwords or social security numbers. Don’t use passwords that are easy to figure out. When you use public wi-fi make sure you log out of your social media accounts. Never access your bank or credit card accounts using public wi-fi. When you are paying bills or making purchases online make sure it is a secure website. A secure website will have https in the address bar. The “S” is an indication it is a secure website. Make sure your kids know it is not OK to text or email sexual pictures of themselves to others. Once the pictures are on the internet they are there forever. Cyber bullying has increased over the years. The internet is anonymous and people are more bold to say things they wouldn’t say to someone in person.
Jed Jensen presented on bullying and hazing. In a study by the Department of Justice and the National Association of School Psychologists found 160,000 children miss school daily because they are afraid of someone or something. In 75 percent of violence in US schools, someone other than the attacker knew it was going to happen. Domestic violence is the most under reported crime in the US. Seventy percent of all sexual assaults go unreported.
Over 25 percent of all students who are “gay” or perceived to be gay are bullied, many physically hurt. LBGQT students are more than five times as likely to miss school, 28 percent drop out altogether. Over 30 percent of LBGQT youth in US report at least one suicide attempt within the last year.
Bullying of students with disabilities especially cognitive disabilities, is also more frequent and more severe. Children who are cognitively disabled may be easily fooled into believing that the bullies are their friends. Physically disabled students also get bullied.
A student is bullied or victimized when he or she is exposed, repeatedly and over time, to negative actions on the part of one or more other students. Generally, bullying is characterized by three criteria: 1. It is aggressive and intentional behavior. 2. It is carried out and repeated over time. 3. It occurs within a relationship characterized by an imbalance of power.
Bullying means an intentional or knowing act that endangers the physical health or safety of a student, and is done for the purpose of placing a student in fear of physical harm or harm to the student’s property. Bullying is bullying even if the victim consents.
Cyberbullying means using the internet, a cell phone, or another device to send or post text, video, or an image with the intent or knowledge, or with reckless disregard, that the text, video, or image will hurt, embarrass, or threaten an individual, regardless of whether the individual directed, consented to, or acquiesced in the conduct, or voluntarily accessed the electronic communication.
Hazing means an intentional act done for the purpose of initiation or admission into, or as a condition of acceptance or membership or continued membership in any school, or school-sponsored team, organization, program, or event. Same acts as bullying, with different purpose.
Some signs of bullying may include: coming home with torn, damaged, or missing clothing, books, and belongings. Has unexplained bruises, injuries, cuts, and scratches. Appears to be fearful about attending school, walking to and from school, or riding the bus. Chooses a longer, “illogical” route for going to and from school. Asks for or takes extra money from family. Appears anxious, distressed, unhappy, depressed or tearful when he or she comes home from school. Talks about or attempts suicide.
Talk to your child’s teacher about it instead of confronting the bully’s parents. If the teacher doesn’t act to stop the bullying, talk to the principal. Teach your child nonviolent ways to deal with bullies, like walking away, playing with friends, or talking it out.
Help your child act with self-confidence. With him or her, practice walking upright, looking people in the eye, and speaking clearly. Don’t encourage your child to fight. This could lead to him or her getting hurt, getting in trouble, and beginning more serious problems with the bully.
Involve your child in activities outside of school. This way he or she can make friends in a different social circle. Teach kids to solve problems without using violence and praise them when they do. Encourage your child to help others who need it.
Take bullying seriously. Many kids are embarrassed to say they have been bullied. You may only have one chance to step in and help. If you see any bullying, stop it right away, even if your child is the one doing the bullying. Don’t bully your children or bully others in front of them. Many times kids who are bullied at home react by bullying other kids. If your children see you hit, ridicule, or gossip about someone else, they are also more likely to do so themselves. Support bully prevention programs in your child’s school. If your school doesn’t have one, consider starting one with other parents, teachers, and concerned adults.
Deputies Tyson Huntington and Garrett Conover spoke on drugs. Drugs are everywhere in society. You can’t think drugs are only in poor neighborhoods and cities. They are here in Emery County and every small town in America. In Park City two students overdosed on the drug Pink. Pink got it’s name from people dipping their pinky finger in the drug as a means of measuring a hit. If your kids behavior changes drastically. There is a good chance he/she is on drugs. Pink is a synthetic opioid that is eight times stronger than morphine.
The deputies are now carrying Naloxone. This could help save an overdose victim or a deputy if they are exposed to drugs. Deputies are in danger of exposure because some of the drugs are a fine powder and can easily enter the blood stream. We have one of the highest overdose rates in the nation. Synthetic drugs are easy to get online. As soon as a synthetic drug is deemed illegal a new synthetic drug replaces it.
Marijuana is now legal in a few states. Drug users are trying to get a bigger high from marijuana by dabbing. This makes the THC level higher in marijuana. This produces a substance that looks like honey. Talk to your kids about the dangers of drugs.
Superintendant Davis thanked everyone for attending the event.
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