When dark moments close in

Law enforcement, mental health professionals and school faculty confronted school safety concerns in a panel discussion Friday at Lake City High School.

The program was organized by LCHS sophomores Seerit Kaur and Zoe O’Brien of the HOPE club. It corresponded with the 19-year anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting.

Mental health services and accessibility featured prominently in the two-hour discussion.

Stan Olson, Coeur d’Alene school district interim superintendent, said the district needs to find better ways to balance students’ sociobehavioral needs with their academic needs.

“All of us have dark moments,” Olson said. “I’ve been lucky enough to have had people to help me through those moments in my life. We can’t depend on happenstance or serendipity for that, though. Those have to be planned experiences.”

Lake City Vice Principal Bryan Kelly said he aims to build relationships with students and urged students to reach out to him and school resource officer Nate Peterson.

“We deal with students who are struggling on a daily basis,” Kelly said. “Our goal is to make those relationships with students, because that’s where we can make change.”

Tracy Turrell, a history teacher at LCHS, said he sees more students dealing with anxiety and other mental health issues today than in the past.

“This generation is more anxious than before,” Turrell said. “I think part of that is due to the high divorce rate — and that’s a problem — but another big part of it is cellphones becoming like a third appendage. Kids are constantly worried about ‘How many likes do I have today?’”

Don Robinson, a former FBI agent who manages the Northern Idaho Crisis Center, noted that all of Idaho — not just its schools — are lacking mental health services.

“We are critically underserved in this region and this state,” Robinson said. “In the Panhandle, we experience twice the national rate of suicide, yet Idaho ranks dead last in the nation on mental health spending per capita.”

Robinson added that students should employ QPR — Question, Persuade, Refer — techniques if they believe a friend is struggling with mental health and recommended a straightforward approach.

“Ask them a direct question about whether they have suicidal intentions,” he said. “Sometimes the mere act that someone else cares enough to ask can change that trajectory.”

Kootenai County Sheriff Ben Wolfinger encouraged students to turn to law enforcement for help if they’re concerned about a friend’s mental state.

“We deal with people with mental health issues every day,” Wolfinger said. “We’re not just here to take bad guys to jail.”

Robinson, who has trained law enforcement on crisis intervention, added that students could contact the crisis center for assistance, even though for legal reasons the center can only serve patients 18 and older.

“There is no wrong door to access the mental health system,” Robinson said.

Biology and zoology teacher Kim Gray highlighted the importance of open dialogue between students and teachers on the topic of school safety.

“Even if it isn’t the most pleasant situation to discuss, it’s a conversation that needs to happen,” Gray said.

District officials also touched on safety measures that have already been put in place, including single-entry access points and lockdown or “active shooter” drills.

Peterson, the SRO at Lake City, said he’s working with faculty to ensure proper procedures for the drills are understood and followed.

Olson recounted his granddaughter, a kindergartner, telling him about her participation in a lockdown drill. He called it a “sobering” experience.

Several panelists commended students in the district and across the country for taking the lead on this issue.

“The maturity of our student body is encouraging to see as an educator,” history and leadership teacher Jesse Affeldt said.

“I’m shocked by the current national movement,” Gray added, “that has been led by students where adults have failed.”

Robinson reminded students that their efforts may not come to fruition immediately but urged them to continue standing up for their beliefs.

“This is a multi-year approach,” he said. “We’ve got to break down the stigma around mental health and have serious discussions about funding. Meanwhile, you guys need to keep the pressure on the decision-makers.”