OKLA. CITY —
I am proud of Lt. Gov. Todd Lamb for his leadership and applaud the members of the Commission on School Security for their recommendations to improve the safety of our schools and students.
Like most of you who have children, when I hear about a child who has been hurt or killed or who has committed suicide I become very upset. I imagine losing my own daughter or seeing her hurt. I believe most Oklahomans will wholeheartedly endorse the commission’s recommendations: to form an Oklahoma School Security Institute, establish a mental health first aid training pilot program, consolidate safety drills, require the reporting of firearms to local law enforcement and establish a school security tip line.
Bullying is tied very closely to school safety, because young people who are bullied and especially those who are mentally ill can become unstable. We have all heard of suicides resulting from bullying and there also have been stories of shooters whose mental health issues were further aggravated by bullying. I was especially upset about the suicide of a young man who was set to enroll in Douglass Mid-High.
Teen suicides are on the rise in our state. Five Oklahoma students committed suicide, 43 attempted suicide and 37,551 reports of bullied students were made during the 2010-11 school year, according to the state superintendent’s office. There were 484 calls from suicidal children made to the Family & Children’s Services COPES hotline in the past year. Students from across the state who are aware of the dangers of bullying commemorate the death of Ty Smalley every year, who killed himself after being bullied.
One bill making its way through the process this year would create middle school health courses that would address bullying and mental health, among other topics. House Bill 2279 has bipartisan support. The only thing standing in its way is that it would cost money and, with so many budget requests, this important measure is often overlooked.
There also are many excellent community resources available to schools.
Locally, the Eagle Ridge Institute Eagle Wings program mentors high-risk youth and addresses bullying prevention. The organization serves more than 700 children each year, receiving some of those children via recommendations from surrounding schools Douglas, Centennial, Northeast Academy and Rogers Middle School as well as calls from parents with children who are having difficulties with communication.
COPES Inc. provides mental health and rehabilitation services including marriage counseling, behavioral counseling and substance abuse treatment.
I’ve worked in the past with the Oklahoma Institute for Child Advocacy who regularly makes legislative recommendations to improve the wellbeing of children in our state.
I plan to be among those pushing for the enactment of the Commission on School Safety’s recommendations into law. I hope you will join me in lending your voice to the effort and would also ask that you join me and students from across Oklahoma in our annual anti-bullying rally at the Capitol each May.
REP. ANASTASIA A. PITMAN represents House District 99, which includes portions of Oklahoma City and Nichols Hills. She can be contacted at 557-7393.
Opinion
In praise of Commission on School Security
- Opinion
-
-
Don’t leave Oklahoma!
May is graduation season. As I have done every year as lieutenant governor, I have given multiple commencement speeches. Advice flows freely during this time and it usually runs the gamut. What to do, what not to do, how to do ‘x’, be sure not to do ‘y.’ Too often commencement speakers speak in big generalities. So general, the message is frequently lost or forgotten.
-
Last-minute funding proposals not in state’s best interest
All indications point to this being the last week of this year’s legislative session. The Legislature will go home a week early. This is good news for Oklahomans as not only will there be cost savings but all Oklahomans should breathe a sigh of relief when the Legislature stops making new laws a week ahead of schedule.
As usual, the Legislature will take a number of important votes during the last week. Some will be forced due to attempts to introduce and pass far-reaching, new policies that should have been introduced much earlier in the year. -
BY THE NUMBERS: Oklahoma still needs to invest in its economy
After six months of stagnation, the Oklahoma economy finally appears to be expanding again albeit still weakly. Unfortunately, our leaders aren’t making the investments we need to give our economic prospects a boost.
Last week the Oklahoma Office of Management and Enterprise Services reported that in April state General Revenue fund collections were 5.2 percent above the estimate and 14.7 percent higher than last year’s collections. Under normal circumstances, such a report would indicate that the Oklahoma economy was very strong. But this isn’t a normal circumstance, and April isn’t a normal month. -
Americans deserve the truth on Benghazi
Lately, the media has been consumed by the controversies surrounding the White House. Among these controversies is the horrific terrorist attack on the United States’ diplomatic compound in Benghazi that took place Sept. 11, 2012. As more people come forward with additional information regarding the attack on the consulate, many Americans, including myself, are still asking for the truth.
The Obama Administration and the State Department have been less than forthcoming with key information on Benghazi and recent information points toward a major cover-up. -
Seizure of AP phone records insult to independent press
Distrust of government secrecy has been elevated to an exceptional level with the disclosure the Justice Department covertly examined two months of Associated Press phone records to determine who leaked details to the AP about a foiled terrorist plot.
-
HEY HINK: Some people just are not cut out for command
Recent headlines cause me to remember an incident that occurred on an army base some years ago. Warning here: I’m taking some liberties with names and details, but the basic outline of events is accurate.
A certain company commander, let’s call him Captain Duntz, had command of a motor pool on a large army base in the continental U.S. -
We’ve become our own worst enemies
The past couple months have been marked by a seeming unprecedented number of man-made tragedies, as distinct from those caused by violent outbursts of the natural world, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and tsunamis.
You don’t want to dwell too long on the negative, but we do have to take notice of horrific human events and we owe it to ourselves to respond to them in some way. We don’t always agree on those responses, however, and that usually exacerbates the problem. -
Let’s reimburse higher ed for remediation costs
The good news: Oklahoma schools are teaching phonics. The bad news: It’s in college.
Students at Tulsa Community College, for example, can take a college English course called “Spelling and Phonics,” which “helps students master basic spelling literacy, principles of phonics and decoding skills.”
This sort of higher education brings to mind former Boston University president John Silber’s quip: “Higher than what?” -
AGAINST THE GRAIN: Department of Commerce highlights Main Street successes
The 24th annual Oklahoma Main Street Awards Banquet was at the National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum last week. Oklahoma Department of Commerce Secretary Dave Lopez addressed the gathering, and spoke of how the Commerce Department works with Main Street organizations throughout the state that are working to improve their downtown areas. Lopez pointed out that the partnership between his department and those local organizations has brought new life to those communities and that the attendees would see some of that revitalization in a video presentation. Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin also addressed the gathering, and said the Main Street program has resulted in more than $1 billion in investments in the state and more than 1 million volunteer hours in its 24 years of operation.
-
OUR VIEW: Be Edmond needs your help
BMX star and local legend Mat Hoffman knows what’s it like to fall from great heights and find yourself at one of the worst low points in life. He also knows how to climb back up and tackle life’s problems head on.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Don’t leave Oklahoma!
