District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek recently addressed concerns that a show of support for Vandalia Schools , was at odds with the district’s recent policy on school memorials.
Ptacek commented on the topic during the district board meeting Wednesday night, following the Red and Black day high school students were allowed to observe in support of Vandalia Schools following the tragic accident this past weekend that claimed the lives to two students.
Ptacek cited an article from the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide he shared on both Facebook and an email sent yesterday afternoon, which describes in detail the triggering effect permanent memorial reminders can have on students.
According to the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, experts in the field of post-vention have reported anecdotal evidence to support the observation that vulnerable students who are at-risk for suicide may be affected by these memorial tributes.
Ptacek read the full email communication sent earlier in the day, before the floor was open to comments and questions from the audience. Ptacek said he felt the communication best described his reasoning on the matter, and that it would help answer any questions those in attendance might have.
“I want to first highlight this important wording, “And what is even more complicating, is the fact that suicide contagion or clusters are often instigated by a death that is not a suicide. The first death or what public health officials call the ‘index event‘ in a suicide cluster is often an accidental death”. The article also goes on to state that it is important to find ways to allow students to grieve but to use the following: “Use this as your benchmark: if it dramatizes, sensationalizes, or glamorizes the student, or creates an opportunity for continuing attention to the death, it is probably not a good idea”.”
Ptacek said that in the list of inappropriate actions, items such as memorial plaques are specifically listed as not appropriate.
Ptacek said that at an education conference he recently attended, comparison statistics were given on student deaths in differing circumstances, and research has found is that in the U.S. in 2018, approximately 6000 high school students committed suicide, compared to 35 student and staff deaths at K through 12 schools due to gun violence.
Ptacek said that it can be a delicate balance between allowing for periods of grief, and permanent memorials that can hamper a students ability to cope.
“There are several reasons I supported today’s color day to support the Vandalia tragedy. The most important is that it allowed students an opportunity to show their support, while quickly returning the school to a state of normalcy. This is the most important item I have taken away from my research and communications with mental health experts. We need to allow an appropriate grieving period, while focusing on returning the school to normal as quickly as possible. In my opinion, this day did not violate the benchmark stated above.
I had not thought of this specific response during some of our tragic past events. I wish I had. I think it is a very good way to find that delicate balance. I hope, and on a personal note I pray, that we never have to face this issue in our school system. But I can see supporting a similar day if a tragic event happens.”
Ptacek said that in regard to the naming of places such as the football field, press box and basketball court, mental health experts have consistently replied that these memorials are in honor of a person’s life, and not a tragic end, and that the death of a full life lived, does not invoke the same emotional reaction as the tragic death of a young life.
Ptacek said that the school district will continue to compare any and all requests for memorials off of this basis, and welcomes continued discussion on the policy.
The full email communication from District 117 Superintendent Steve Ptacek:
Today I received a Facebook comment that deserves a larger reply. I can see how other members in our community might have a similar thought. This communication is to clarify my recent decisions on an emotional issue. This includes some very “blunt” discussion, but the enormity of the issue demands honest talk.
To frame this issue, I want to repeat the message that was delivered by a speaker at a recent conference I attended. While the argument he proposed started with a question that sparked some initial adverse reaction, his final point was extremely important. Please read through the end of this to understand the entire message.
He first stated, “Did you know that in 2018 there were more K-12 deaths due to gun violence than any other year since Columbine”. He then asked the audience “How many K-12 students and staff were killed by guns last year?”.
The answer shocked many in the audience. Before I state the number, and before you continue reading, please take your “guess”. Since returning from the conference, I have asked many coworkers to come up with their number.
Many conference attendees, and my coworkers were surprised at how off they were. Last year the Nation witnessed 35 student and staff deaths at school due to gun violence. A sizeable number of those were not mass shootings. This number includes all forms of gun violence including gang activity and individuals specifically targeted by an attacker. It also includes the death of the shooters.
(I underwent my own internet research to see if the numbers were correct. While no source I found gives these exact numbers, several have the number in the mid 50s, but include colleges, universities, and tech schools. In exploring specific shooting incidents, many of them did not occur in the K-12 setting, so I do think this is an accurate number.)
While this number is an absolute tragedy, and I do not want to downplay the loss of life we have seen in public schools, the extreme national response to this level of danger our students are facing is not balanced compared to other risks our students face. I recently read a Washington Post article that stated that there have been somewhere around 115 mass shooting deaths at K-12 schools since Columbine in 1999. That was 20 years ago. One research organization has stated that students are 10 times more likely to die on the commute to school than by a shooter.
Even with these low numbers, we take this issue extremely seriously and, like all schools, spend a tremendous amount of time, resources, and energy working to further reduce any risk to our students and staff. If we did not, we would be failing our community and our students.
Now to the main point the speaker made.
He next asked, “Do you know how many grade 9-12 students committed suicide last year”?
This number shocked everyone. Approximately 6000 high school students committed suicide in 2018. That number has been dramatically increasing over the last several years. While both threats are serious, increasing suicide rates are a much larger threat to our high school students.
On September 16th, I made a Facebook post and sent a school message out detailing the reasoning behind our new memorials policy. I know that some view our new policy as not being compassionate to those that have faced loss, but the policy was developed based on input from national agencies and research professionals on the impact memorials can have on a student in a state of mental crisis.
Just like gun violence, we need to take the issue extremely seriously and act in a manner that reduces any risk to our students. At the conference, a Superintendent from Colorado highlighted that both her district and a nearby district are currently facing suicide contagions. The number of incidents was terrifying.
The question I received today that prompted this communication was about the apparent inconsistency in our actions regarding memorial plaques and our support of today’s Red/Black day in support of the Vandalia tragedy. I acknowledge that this could appear inconsistent. But research and professional opinions were analyzed in making the decision. It is not inconsistent.
I am linking one of the two professional articles I linked in my previous communication. This is from the Society for the Prevention of Teenage Suicide:
I want to first highlight this important wording:
“And what is even more complicating, is the fact that suicide contagion or clusters are often instigated by a death that is not a suicide. The first death or what public health officials call the ‘index event‘ in a suicide cluster is often an accidental death”.
The article also goes on to state that it is important to find ways to allow students to grieve but to use the following:
“Use this as your benchmark: if it dramatizes, sensationalizes, or glamorizes the student, or creates an opportunity for continuing attention to the death, it is probably not a good idea”.
In the list of inappropriate actions, items such as memorial plaques are specifically listed as not appropriate. Back to my original point, if I have information that our actions are placing our students at risk, I must intervene. This would be strongly supported if the risk in question was in regard to potential gun violence. This is regularly supported when I intervene in regard to the weather. I am asking the community to support the efforts to address an even larger threat to our youth.
I urge you to read this article with an open mind. I ask you to support the school and the larger community in combating this crisis we are facing. Yesterday I was at a Passavant Healthy Communities Collaborative meeting, and one of the top concerns all community leaders are seeing is the current state of mental health in our society.
There are several reasons I supported today’s color day to support the Vandalia tragedy. The most important is that it allowed students an opportunity to show their support, while quickly returning the school to a state of normalcy.
That is the most important item I have taken away from my research and communications with mental health experts. We need to allow an appropriate grieving period, while focusing on returning the school to normal as quickly as possible. In my opinion, this day did not violate the benchmark stated above.
I had not thought of this specific response during some of our tragic past events. I wish I had. I think it is a very good way to find that delicate balance. I hope, and on a personal note I pray, that we never have to face this issue in our school system. But I can see supporting a similar day if a tragic event happens.
We grieve, we acknowledge loss, but we must quickly return to a normal operating state that does not force individuals that are in mental crisis to regularly face the stress of loss.
In regard to the naming of locations such as the football field or the press box, I have asked this question to mental health experts. They have consistently replied that many of those honors are about a person’s life. The death of an individual that has led a full life does not invoke the same emotional feelings as the tragedy of a young passing. However, we will examine any requests moving forward and compare them to the benchmark.
I welcome any communication regarding this issue. I will meet with anyone that wants to voice a differing, or supporting, view. I hope you understand that my strong view on this issue is based in concern for our students that are at risk.
Steve Ptacek