By: Diane Benjamin
1)
The 1% Sales Tax could be use for mental health services. That means your child could be “affirmed” by a “professional” to be anything they “feel”. Parents will not be notified or informed. Do you really want a system that believes in DEI, Social Emotional Learning, and gender change talking privately with your child?
2)
The 1% Sales Tax is regressive which means it hits lower income people the most. Bloomington did not want to pass a 1% grocery tax for this very reason. Ask your alderman and candidates for office about this tax? Will you find a double standard?
3)
The below is a Cody Hendricks sign illegally on Public Property (Veterans Parkway). If you see other signs please send me a pic. Just more proof laws mean nothing unless somebody enforces them. Some people aren’t capable of governing themselves.
4)
This is a fun story: https://www.wglt.org/local-news/2025-02-10/one-voice-trip-to-d-c-sets-sights-on-nearly-23-million-for-central-illinois-projects
$36 Trillion in debt doesn’t stop progressives from wanting it worse.
5)
The surgery fix to my eye did not stay fixed. I could gross everyone out with a story from yesterday of needles and lasers. The bottom line is I am back to limited vision and will be for many weeks.
If you see a ton of typos it’s because I can’t see them.
Regarding the One Voice Trip in search of funding for CIRA, I can only imagine how many 230 person flights will be flying into CIRA each day once the $2.3M dollar bridge is installed.
Maybe they should ask for money to expand the parking lot and even build on to the terminal while they are dreaming.
Hope your better soon. God’s speed.
You’re opposed to the hiring of social workers and psychologists?
Duh. Parents are responsible for the mental health of their children. Not schools
I have to disagree with you, Diane. Don’t get me wrong, I think a lot of parents are good parents, but there are also many students who don’t have access to a healthy and comfortable home environment that would make for a productive mental health space.
Consequently, it’s those families that NEED mental health professionals. This isn’t about “transgendering children” or “keeping things from parents” but more from preventing issues before they start. If you went to a school that was at risk of a school shooting due to mental health issues, you’d be glad that there was professionals available. That’s the extreme, but it’s the world we live in.
How to you know that it isn’t? Progressives recruit the vulnerable because they are easy
You think teachers and social workers are all “progressive”? Both teachers and school social workers have saved many children who often can’t confide in anyone else about the abuse they get from their parents or family members.
Both teachers and social workers are required to report any physical abuse to the authorities . That you think that they are harming children is false, and you have no real evidence that is happening.
In fact you don’t have the foggiest idea what mental health issues children face. And it’s more than true that either a teacher or school social worker would see signs of mental illness before any parent would, parents are not good at recognizing their children’s mental health issues.
It’s more likely the parents are causing those mental health issues, or are denying that there are issues with their child.
I bet you think DOGE isn’t finding corruption too. If parents can’t find out what is being said to their kids bad things will happen. Parents found that out during COVID when they overheard E-Learning.
So when the parents do a bad job, we should just let the child suffer, right? We should just write the child off entirely and provide no other means of support. And when those untreated mental health issues start to impact all of the other children in the class and at school, we can all just shrug it off because, well, it was that one child’s parents’ responsibility, right? This is an insane take completely devoid of compassion.
Schools can’t parent.
There are other services outside of the school.
All parents should not be kept in the dark about issues THEIR child is having because there are a few bad parents that don’t care. Schools should not stand between the parent child relationship, they should be encouraging it.
Especially in a state where teachers are told to incorporate the ideology of identity fluidity into the curriculum. (See the Administrative Code)
And especially in a district that lets there grade school teachers quiz students on LGBTQ….etc knowledge.
Because the vast majority of the parents do not believe in or endorse such ideology that directly opposes their own worldview.
Yes, when only 20% of kids in District 87 and 40% in Unit 5 are proficient in reading and only 13% and 29% are proficient in math, I don’t think the kids mental health “issues” are the actual problem the schools should focus on correcting. Of course, if our kids are dumb as rocks and can’t read or do basic math, they will have very poor mental health as adults when they realize this and suffer with the long term life consequences. Wonder if we could pre-empt a lot of adult mental health issues by, I don’t know, teaching kids to read and do math properly?
Also, the kids wouldn’t have major mental health issues if the schools did the right thing and banned all student cell phones 10 years ago.
https://www.illinoisreportcard.com/District.aspx?source=trends&source2=proficiency&Districtid=17064005026
They have renamed numerous institutions so that people are not offended or intimidated prisons and jails are a perfect example we no longer refer to those institutions with those names. I guess it is time to stop calling schools, schools.
Lets see how about calling them your SECOND HOME!
Teachers no longer called teachers how about MOM OR DAD!
So sad the family unit as we knew for years has been slowly disintegrating to the point that now schools are supposed to provide guidance and support that parents should provide.
I guess maybe that is part of the reason that reading, math, and writing skills among our current public schools are so bad and continue to decline.
Just saying, how sad!
Mental health professionals in every school?!?? Preposterous! Most of them are crazy, that’s why they go into the profession. To figure themselves out. Geesh, lets just get back to readin’, writin’, and ‘rithmetic. Kids are smarter than you give them credit for. WIth proper education instead of all this dei, woke, common communist core crap, they’d be fine.
Mental health services could be provided by AI for every child at little cost. Maybe it should include some teachers too!
This from Grok AI.
How AI Can Assist in Detecting Mental Health Issues
AI can be used in various ways to identify potential mental health concerns in grade school children. Here are some common approaches:
1. Behavioral Analysis via Digital Tools:
• AI can analyze data from digital platforms, such as educational apps, games, or social media (if applicable), to detect behavioral patterns.
• For example, changes in activity levels, engagement, or language use (e.g., increased negativity or withdrawal) may indicate potential issues like anxiety or depression.
• Tools like natural language processing (NLP) can analyze written or spoken language for signs of emotional distress.
2. Speech and Voice Analysis:
• AI can analyze vocal patterns (e.g., tone, pitch, speech rate) to detect signs of stress, anxiety, or depression.
• For example, slower speech or monotone delivery might correlate with depressive symptoms, while rapid, erratic speech might indicate anxiety.
3. Facial Expression and Emotion Recognition:
• AI-powered cameras or software can analyze facial expressions during virtual learning or therapy sessions to detect emotional states.
• For instance, persistent sadness, lack of emotional expression, or frequent frustration might be flagged as potential concerns.
4. Wearable Devices and Physiological Data:
• Wearables (e.g., smartwatches) can track physiological signals like heart rate variability, sleep patterns, or activity levels.
• Irregular sleep, increased heart rate, or reduced physical activity might indicate stress, anxiety, or other mental health challenges.
5. Screening Tools and Questionnaires:
• AI can assist in administering and analyzing responses to standardized mental health screening tools, such as the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC) or the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ).
• Machine learning models can identify patterns in responses that may suggest mental health concerns.
6. Educational Performance Monitoring:
• AI can analyze academic performance data (e.g., grades, participation, attendance) to detect sudden declines that might be linked to mental health issues.
• For example, a drop in grades or increased absenteeism might be associated with depression or anxiety.
Effectiveness of AI in Detection
• Accuracy: Studies have shown that AI can achieve moderate to high accuracy in detecting certain mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, or ADHD, when trained on large, diverse datasets. However, accuracy varies depending on the condition and the quality of the data.
• For example, AI models for detecting depression through speech analysis have achieved accuracy rates of 70–90% in controlled studies, but real-world performance may be lower.
• Early Detection: AI can help identify subtle signs of mental health issues earlier than traditional methods, especially in children who may not have the vocabulary or awareness to express their feelings.
• Scalability: AI tools can be deployed in schools or online platforms, making them accessible for large populations of children.
Limitations of AI in Detecting Mental Health Issues
While AI can be a valuable tool, it has significant limitations, especially when applied to grade school children:
1. Lack of Context:
• AI models often lack the nuanced understanding of a child’s environment, family dynamics, cultural background, or personal history, all of which are critical for accurate mental health assessment.
• For example, a child may exhibit withdrawal due to a temporary family stressor rather than a mental health disorder, but AI might misinterpret this as depression.
2. Data Bias:
• AI models are trained on datasets that may not be representative of all populations, leading to biased outcomes.
• For example, if a model is trained primarily on data from one demographic group, it may perform poorly for children from other cultural or socioeconomic backgrounds.
3. Ethical and Privacy Concerns:
• Collecting and analyzing data from children raises significant privacy concerns, especially under laws like the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) in the U.S. or GDPR in Europe.
• Parental consent and data security are critical issues that must be addressed.
4. False Positives and Negatives:
• AI may flag children who do not have mental health issues (false positives), leading to unnecessary interventions and potential stigma.
• Conversely, it may miss children who need help (false negatives), delaying critical support.
5. Developmental Variability:
• Grade school children are at different stages of emotional and cognitive development, making it challenging for AI to distinguish between normal developmental behaviors and mental health issues.
• For example, tantrums or mood swings may be typical for a 6-year-old but could be misinterpreted by AI as signs of a disorder.
6. Not a Substitute for Clinical Diagnosis:
• AI can only provide risk assessments or flag potential concerns; it cannot diagnose mental health conditions.
• Diagnosis requires a comprehensive evaluation by a licensed professional, such as a child psychologist or psychiatrist, who considers multiple factors (e.g., clinical interviews, family history, and standardized assessments).
Current Research and Examples
• Mental Health Apps: Apps like Woebot or MindDoc use AI to monitor mood and provide interventions, but they are primarily designed for older children or adolescents.
• AI in Schools: Some schools are piloting AI tools to monitor student well-being, such as analyzing writing samples or engagement in online learning platforms.
• Research Studies:
• A 2022 study published in Nature found that AI models analyzing speech and facial expressions could predict anxiety in children with 80% accuracy in controlled settings.
• Another study in JAMA Pediatrics explored AI’s ability to detect ADHD by analyzing movement patterns and attention during tasks, achieving moderate success.
Recommendations for Using AI in This Context
1. Combine AI with Human Oversight:
• AI should be used as a screening tool, not a diagnostic one. Results should be reviewed by teachers, school counselors, or mental health professionals.
• For example, if AI flags a child for potential anxiety, a counselor can follow up with the child and family.
2. Ensure Ethical Use:
• Obtain informed parental consent before collecting or analyzing data.
• Use anonymized data whenever possible to protect privacy.
3. Address Bias:
• Train AI models on diverse datasets that include children from various cultural, socioeconomic, and linguistic backgrounds.
• Regularly audit AI systems for bias and accuracy.
4. Educate Stakeholders:
• Train teachers, parents, and school staff on the capabilities and limitations of AI tools.
• Emphasize that AI is a supportive tool, not a definitive solution.
5. Focus on Early Intervention:
• Use AI to identify children who may benefit from early interventions, such as counseling, social skills groups, or parental support programs.
Conclusion
AI can be a helpful tool for detecting potential mental health issues in grade school children, particularly in identifying early warning signs and supporting large-scale screening efforts. However, its effectiveness is limited by factors like data bias, lack of context, and ethical concerns. AI should always be used in conjunction with human expertise and never as a standalone diagnostic tool. For the best outcomes, AI should be part of a broader mental health support system that includes teachers, counselors, parents.
Okay so even Grok thinks that for the best outcomes teachers and counselors should be included
Yes Blono, but Illinois thinks parents just get in the way.
The day is coming when AI will replace a good portion of the teachers, take the place of much of the counselors and eliminate the administration bloat. Maybe not in Pritzker’s Illinois, but when more parents leave the state, maybe someday we’ll wise up.
Our current education system has failed our children and parents miserably. Illinois just wants to double down on failure.
I’m so sorry Diane. I will pray for a speedy recovery.