The San Francisco school board has been the target of a number of naysayers as of late. While there is a wide range of jokes that can be made about this situation, this is no longer a laughing matter. There is a massive spike in teenage suicides taking place in this city right now. This phenomenon is taking place in the Bay Area but we highly doubt that it is limited to this location.
San Francisco is now in the process of suing their own school board, in hopes that they can force a reopening. “The number of suicidal children in San Francisco has hit a record high and health experts say it is clear that keeping public schools closed “is catalyzing a mental health crisis among school-aged children,” according to a lawsuit the city filed Thursday to push its school district to reopen classrooms.
San Francisco City Attorney Dennis Herrera announced last week he was taking the dramatic step of suing the city’s own school district, which has kept its classrooms closed for nearly a year. In the motion filed Thursday in San Francisco Superior Court, Herrera included alarming testimony from hospitals in the San Francisco Bay Area, doctors, and parents on the emotional and mental harms of extended distance learning,” the New York Post reports.
The impact has been hard to ignore. Parents are offering anecdotal testimonies and there are also some truly eye-popping statistics. The Post has more. “UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital has seen a 66 percent increase in the number of suicidal children in the emergency room and a 75 percent increase in youth who required hospitalization for mental health services, the lawsuit said, quoting pediatricians, child psychiatrists, and emergency room doctors.
Last month, UCSF Children’s Emergency Department at Mission Bay reported record-high numbers of suicidal children seen and treated, according to the legal filing which did not provide detailed numbers of cases and hospital visits. It also quoted doctors citing an increase in anxiety, depression, and eating disorders among children, consistent with national data.
“The medical evidence is clear that keeping public schools closed is catalyzing a mental health crisis among school-aged children in San Francisco,” Dr. Jeanne Noble, director of COVID Response for the UCSF Emergency Department,” the Post shared.
All of these statistics are tough to swallow. Surely, schools are going to be taking every step that they can to get their doors open again. Meanwhile, the SFUSD board has decided to place a higher level of emphasis on the renaming of schools. They are also more worried about barring gay parents from being able to become board members. This is the city of inclusive folks, after all.
This insane school board spent a whopping seven hours wringing their hands over a gay father who simply wanted to volunteer. They were unable to spare one measly second for the students that they claim to care so much about. This board is an absolute joke and we cannot believe that anyone would be willing to tolerate their nonsense.
A public health crisis is taking place that is decimating our youth but the school board does not want to do a darn thing about it. They would rather hem and haw while children experience some of the worst depression and anxiety that they are ever going to go through. The Biden administration can’t seem to make up their mind as to whether they want schools to open or not, so don’t expect a strong statement there.
Local media needs to take the time to fill in the gaps and educate residents about what is really taking place. Families need a viable path to get their children back into schools. This is the GOP’s chance to show the people of San Francisco that they truly have their backs. If public schools in these cities are going to refuse to reopen, this should show everyone where their priorities lie.