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Feb. 27-March 5, 2020
CRISIS IN FLUSHING
JHS 189Q to receive mental health support programs following cases of student suicidal ideation
JHS 189 Daniel Carter Beard School in Flushing. Photo: Carlotta Mohamed/QNS
Vol. 29 No. 9 40 total pages
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
After local elected officials
and community leaders in
Flushing expressed shock at
the number of students experiencing
suicidal thoughts at
JHS 189Q Daniel Beard Carter
School, the Department of
Education (DOE) is taking action
to address the crisis.
During a legislative meeting
on Feb. 7 at JHS 189Q (144-
80 Barclay Ave., Flushing),
Principal Magdalen Radovich
and her staff members announced
60 students speaking
of suicidal thoughts in
the past year, according to a
report.
State Assemblyman Ron
Kim, who attended the gathering
with two dozen other
elected officials and community
leaders, had pushed for
the DOE to jump on the matter
promptly.
According to Kim, the DOE
is taking a multi-pronged and
strategic approach, allocating
immediate resources to
help students while they’re in
school.
“I am thankful that the
New York City Department of
Education has responded and
acted swiftly for this scary
situation at JHS 189,” Kim
said in a statement.
However, in a statement to
QNS, the DOE claims that Radovich
misstated the number
of students who have had suicide
ideations, saying, they’re
“unable to share the exact
number but it is far less than
60.”
According to the DOE, the
regularly scheduled legislative
breakfast at JHS 189Q
was held to thank local elected
officials for their support
of the school, not to discuss
any specific concerns around
student mental health.
“During the breakfast,
the principal asked the community’s
support for their
Community School program,
and the addition of a mental
health and wellness center on
their campus. Mental health
of the students was part of a
larger discussion and not the
focus of the breakfast,” a DOE
spokeswoman said.
According to the DOE, unprecedented
investments were
already made at the school to
ensure students and staff have
social and emotional support,
and training to identify and
prevent risk.
“At JHS 189, the staff have
been trained on self-harm prevention,
and students have a
social worker, school psychologist,
a mental health consultant
through ThriveNYC, and
a Substance Abuse Prevention
and Intervention Specialist,”
a DOE spokeswoman said.
“Staff have had trainings
in both Making Educators
Partners in Suicide Prevention
and Kognito programs,
both of which focus on mental
health identifying and mental
health concerns include suicide
ideation,” the DOE added.
“Guidance counselors attend
Creating Suicide Safety
in Schools and Crisis School
trainings.”
JHS 189Q also offers students
the opportunity to join
several socio-emotional organizations.
Sexual Assault
and Violence Intervention
Program (SAVI), the National
Alliance on Mental Illness
(MANI), and Day 1 have conducted
classroom lessons on
mental health and building
healthy relationships, the
DOE said.
If a student reports suicidal
ideations, the principal and
parents/guardians are notified
and appropriate referrals
to provide intervention
and supports are made. The
school also conducts parent
workshops that focus on the
safety and wellness of their
children.
Meanwhile, Kim said he
believes that the suicide crisis
stems from Flushing’s lack of
affordable housing and skyrocketing
commercial rents.
“The school staff and I both
know that if these students
are experiencing trauma outside
of school, stemming from
economic stress, poverty or
an unstable home environment,
we will continue to see
a rise in depression and suicidal
ideation in the future,”
Kim said. “The long-term solution
is clear: securing safe
and affordable housing for all
families. No child should be
living in abject fear of going
homeless every night.”
Reach reporter Carlotta
Mohamed by e-mail at cmohamed@
schnepsmedia.com or
by phone at (718) 260–4526.
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