HAMPTON ROADS, Va. — Monday marks a new school year for some districts across Hampton Roads. While it’s an exciting time, it can be challenging for some.
Mental health experts are pushing parents to sit down with their kids to talk about mental health and the impacts of bullying.
Even one parent, whose daughter was a target of bullying, is asking other parents to start this conversation with their kids.
“Holding her hand, whether it was in the hospital, whether it was in her bedroom, I will never forget being at CHKD and the staff being so loving. To love on us and to breathe life back in me to help my daughter. That was the hardest thing to do,” said Shant’a Miller White.
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It’s certainly a hard conversation for Shant'a to have over a decade after her daughter was brutally attacked by a bully on the school bus.
“The doctor said 3 inches to the left, if the young lady would've kept kicking her, she could've died instantly from the bus from those blows. I felt like it was my fault for thinking it was a good idea to let them be acclimated with their peers to ride the bus, let them be with their peers in school, outside of school things like that,” said Miller White.
Over time, she's learned it wasn't her fault, but her daughter's near-death experience led her to create the Hampton-based nonprofit "Parents Against Bullying." Her organization gives resources to victims of bullying and even those doing the bullying.
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According to the CDC, children who are bullied are at an increased risk for anxiety, depression and suicide.
“Suicide ideations are on the rise. Currently, 20% of our school-age children have a mental health disorder,” said Dr. Sarah Williams, Hampton Roads Psychotherapist.
Dr. Williams says having these conversations with your children about the importance of mental health and bullying is critical, although it may be tough.
“Have they expressed some form of defiance that may be unusual in terms of school? Are they expressing more feelings of anxiety? Are they having difficulty sleeping? Has their eating patterns changed? Has their behavior changed at home?" Dr. Williams urged parents to look out for these patterns.
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She added that early intervention and open dialogue can prevent cases of bullying and the tragic situations that result from it.
“It’s okay for a child to report that they're having the blues, that I feel sad today, that I feel anxious today, giving them that emotional dialogue,” Dr. Williams added.
Virginia lawnow requires school principals to tell parents of alleged bullying incidents within 24 hours. Before this law it was a five day window schools had to inform parents.
