Should Schools Strengthen Families or Destroy Them?

Have you seen these posters at your child’s school? Would you be startled if you did?

Concerned parents across Colorado have started sounding their alarm as posters like these have started popping up at their local public schools, including elementary schools. Locally, parents have reported these posters in some Poudre School District schools. Parents are concerned about the negative messages directed toward families, as well as the promotion of a method for unrelated adults to connect with minor children circumventing parental permission.

The posters are a part of a marketing campaign conducted by Colorado Crisis Services, an organization managed by the Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health. The purpose of the Crisis Services is to provide greater access to mental health services for Coloradoans. The posters advertise the Crisis Services’ 24/7 mental health support line.

We wonder if districts have thoroughly considered the implication of displaying these posters to vulnerable children. We assume districts are well-intended when displaying the posters, but wonder if schools have considered all the possible consequences related to their promotion and display?

Hurting Families Instead of Helping

The messages displayed on the sample posters above drive and reinforce negative messages regarding the complicated relationships between children and their families. Students are hit with the message that families are angry, they are overly critical, they cause frustration and stress. And while anyone who has been a part of any family knows those statements can occasionally be true, is it in the best interest of children to focus on these negative sentiments? Most people inherently understand, and studies have confirmed, that children with highly involved and closely connected parents perform better both academically and socially.

"Parents and families have a powerful role in supporting their children’s learning, health, and well-being at home and at school. When parents are engaged in their children’s school activities and initiatives, children get better grades, choose healthier behaviors, and have better social skills. Students who have parents involved in their school lives also are more likely to avoid unhealthy behaviors and they are less likely to be emotionally distressed.” -Center for Disease Control

Given that children will be better off with closer familial relationships, wouldn’t it be better for school districts to display messages and promote activities which strengthen family bonds instead of ones that highlight relationship struggles?

Who Is Talking to Your Kids?

Parents are also concerned about the tacit approval by the district of their children being encouraged to connect with unrelated adults without expressed permission or even knowledge by the parents. Children of any age could reasonably access the mental health support line simply by texting from their phones. According to the Crisis Services website, minors of any age could be connected with non-licensed mental health professionals, including people labeled as ‘peer specialists’ whose mental health expertise consists of “having lived experience with a mental health concern.”

​Recently, a Colorado parent posing as a gender-confused nine-year-old texted the number from the posters. The Crisis Services employee told the ‘nine-year old’ that the conversation would be kept from the child’s parents, that the child could be anything she wanted to be related to her gender identity, and was provided The Trevor Project as a helpful resource for connecting with queer youth.

When districts such as PSD spend millions of tax-payer dollars annually on staffing mental health professionals and professional development, is it appropriate for them to then push kids toward resources and people to whom the children have no connections? Would it be better for districts to encourage students to speak with their parents, or in the rare cases that is too difficult, at least lead children to connect with a trusted teacher or school counselor?

What Should You Do?

We wonder if school districts advertising this crisis resource have truly considered all the ramifications of tacking up these posters. Have districts thought through the negative messaging that could potentially be harmful to the tender relationship between children and their families? Have schools considered options for encouraging children to connect directly with their parents or in the very least with a teacher or school counselor?

Are you concerned about these advertisements in your children's schools? What might you do?

• Ask your principal if he will display the crisis line advertisements.

• If the posters are already displayed, ask the principal if the posters can be removed.

• Tell your principal you support the district working to strengthen families, not tear them apart.