D93 unveils anti-bullying, mental health help program

AMMON, Idaho (KIFI) - Bonneville School District 93 is taking students' mental well-being seriously, with the district rolling out a new program called "Help Alert."

Superintendent Scott Woolstenhulme said the district received federal government funding to help with COVID-19, one of the key things that they identified was a need to "better help support students' social, emotional learning and needs."

"One of the key focuses is to make sure we're responding to students' emotional needs as quickly as you can," Woolstenhulme said. "Those can come through things like students that are having thoughts of suicide or self-harm. It could be things that our kids are dealing with bullying or just lots of different issues."

With that came the idea to create an office of social and emotional learning and support.

With a scan of a QR code or a text message, students and parents are able to report instances of bullying or a mental health crisis to the Help Alert line.

"When we get those alerts, then it's going to our administrators through their cell phones," Woolstenhulme said. "It goes to Ken Marlowe, who's our Director of Social, Emotional Learning and Support. And so we have a good look to make sure that we're looking at those and responding to those as promptly as we can."

Marlowe says a program like this is very important.

"I think most people recognize coming out of the pandemic, hopefully coming out of a pandemic," Marlowe said. "The increased stress and anxiety felt I think parents and adults have felt a significant amount of that, but so have students and children. And so being able to address that is highly significant. If we expect students to learn well in school, we have to be able to take care of some of those basic needs that are necessities, and mental health is one of those things."

Marlowe also said the district makes a point of following up with those who have reached out to the tip line.

"So for example, if I feel like I'm being the target of some bullying, then I can scan that QR code, make a report," Marlowe said. "Then at some point, I'll be contacted by an administrator and then I'll get a chance and an opportunity to kind of share my experience. But then I also get some follow-up from that same administrator as to kind of what's being done about it."