Why ‘problem’ students not getting needed help

THE EDITOR: Almost every day we hear about the “bullies” in school, the fights, the injuries and the weapons. There is only one factor to be blamed for what’s happening and that is parenting. Parenting today is not like it was long ago. Many things have changed over the years that have impacted on how children behave today. Some of these are:

1) Both parents having jobs.

2) Many grandparents not willing to assist as they also work or just want their freedom.

3) The single-parent home where the father was never a part of the family.

4) The divorced/separated parents.

5) The internet, social media, music, television, technology on the whole — what our children are watching and who are their role models.

All these factors and more have impacted on the way children behave and those with behavioural problems “give trouble” in school. So the Student Support Services was introduced by the Ministry of Education to assist in this area.

There are guidance officers and social workers and part of their role is to guide and counsel our “problem” children — not only those with deviant behaviour but also the very quiet, withdrawn ones who the teacher might have referred and later found out the problem is incest or sexual or physical abuse.

The problem with the Student Support Services is that it is severely understaffed and therefore one officer may have four schools so she visits each school one day a week and goes to the office on one day.

In each school there are many children who may have been referred and she will try her best there. However, if the child is absent on the day that the officer visits the school, then a week goes by without a session.

I know of a case where the process was started and then the child was absent on the day of the visit. The next week the officer was on sick leave, the following week there was a public holiday on the day of the visit and the week after that the officers were all called out to a school with a crisis. So a month went by without a session, without any help at all for that child. How can there be any progress?

So the Community Police was contacted for assistance in this particular case and a visit was made.

The officer promised to contact the school later but a week passed without communication. A phone call was placed by the school but the officer dealing with the case was not on duty at the time. After another week a call was again made with the same response. A month has gone by with no contact at all, no feedback, no assistance.

So when our goodly Minister of Education says the child has been “referred” to the Student Support Services, that sounds really good but the reality is far from good.

SARAH DEAN via e-mail