District gets safer with STAT

By Natasha Clark

Assistant Managing Editor

WILBRAHAM The Hampden-Wilbraham Regional School District continues to promote a safe school environment by employing early intervention techniques with its Student Teacher Assistance Team (STAT).

The goal of STAT is to foster student success and healthy development, enhance a safe school environment and promote opportunities for knowledge, skill, attitude, and behavior development.

STAT is a more in-depth initiative then the previous MAT (Minnechaug Assistance Team) program. It is a school-based prevention and early intervention program for students that spans district-wide.

"The program accepts referrals from the school community and parents for students who are exhibiting behaviors that are interfering with their education," according to information released by the team. "A student may be referred when a teacher, parent, or fellow student has concerns in the areas of academics, behavior, social or emotional difficulties."

There is a form that needs to be filled out that gives an overview of what the person notices as a potential problem or issue being exhibited in the person they are referring. A student may even refer his or herself. There will be drop boxes where people can put referrals.

"Then we will go to other sources parents, teachers, the child [referred] and get a complete picture," explained STAT member Denise McFarland, who is also a nurse at Minnechaug Regional High School. "We sit down and brainstorm on how we can help."

McFarland said, depending on the situation, some people referring someone may want to remain anonymous. She said "it's not automatic that we tell a student who asked us to talk to them."

McFarland also said that STAT is using "newer, wide-reaching" efforts when it comes to helping a student in need. They are finding mentors and using peer counseling as just some of the means.

As far as behaviors that should rouse concern in others when wondering if a student is in need of help, McFarland said, "it can be anything that is different a student whose appearance isn't what it has been, they're showing up to school late, they're being absent, they're getting to class late behaviors that are out of the norm for that particular student." In June, a national "Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance" report was released by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) which monitored priority health-risk behaviors which contribute to the leading causes of morbidity and mortality among youth and adults. The report monitors six categories of priority health-risk behaviors among youth and young adults, including behaviors that contribute to unintentional injuries and violence; tobacco use; alcohol and other drug use; sexual behaviors that contribute to unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections; unhealthy dietary behaviors; and physical inactivity. It covers October 2004 thru January 2006. It said these behaviors "often are established during childhood and adolescence, extend into adulthood, are interrelated, and are preventable."

The results went on to conclude that "in the United States, 71 percent of all deaths among persons aged 10-24 years result from four causes: motor vehicle crashes, other unintentional injuries, homicide, and suicide ... since 1991, the prevalence of many health-risk behaviors among high school students nationwide has decreased. However, many high school students continue to engage in behaviors that place them at risk

for the leading causes of mortality and morbidity."

STAT members received training to deal with matters that may arise. McFarland said they were trained four days over the last three months with take home assignments in between.

"If there is something that is happening, we're just there to help. We try to base [our help] on whatever strengths the student has rather than on the negative behavior or problem," McFarland said. "We build on strengths ... Early intervention, it's identifying a problem before it becomes a big problem.

"We are really trying hard to get the word out to everyone," she added. "Students, people in the community, if they observe something or known somebody [who is exhibiting out of norm behaviors], and they don't know who to talk to, they can talk to us. "

She said if it turns out that the grounds are baseless, than it's not going to go anywhere.

"But if there is something, than maybe we can help," she added.