Bridgeport school district hosts behavioral support workshop
BRIDGEPORT — The city school district is offering a workshop to address children’s well-being and the readjustment to school.
“Taking a Mental Health Pulse” will be hosted via Zoom on Thursday evening in partnership with a thirdparty mental health provider.
The event comes as Bridgeport has seen an increase in behavioral incidents that district officials attribute to a difficult transition back to school buildings. Students have also faced increased isolation, unstructured time and burn out, and some have dealt with toxic home environments, or their families faced job loss and food insecurity, while up against a public health crisis.
“With so many of our students returning to inperson learning for the first time since March of 2020, it
is important that we recognize the challenges that these youngsters face,” Superintendent Michael Testani wrote in an Oct. 8
letter to parents.
“We have seen a sharp increase in inappropriate and overly aggressive (behavior),” he wrote, “and are
focusing our efforts on providing support and resources to those students struggling socially and emotionally.”
A description of the workshop said it will provide parents and other caregivers with a deeper understanding of the situation, and some practical strategies to address their children’s needs.
District officials have repeatedly emphasized that the problem is not unique to Bridgeport. In Stamford, violence at school buildings had led to 20 arrests by early October. And schools across the nation have struggled with the behavior of students as they returned this fall, the education outlet Chalkbeat reported last month.
Over the weekend, Bridgeport circulated a second memo, calling attention to an increase in verbal and physical clashes resulting from social media.
“Social media has become a tool for students to engage in cyber bullying and other threatening behavior,” the letter read. “We will not take these incidents lightly.”
The district asked that families proactively monitor children’s social media accounts, including following or friending them on the platforms or having a friend do so, knowing their log-ins, and setting their privacy and location settings. The memo also suggested that adults learn about the latest platforms and terminology.
The workshop appears to be hosted by Effective School Solutions, a mental health services provider that the district entered into a three-year partnership with this summer. More recently, Bridgeport upped its financial commitment to $5.8 million, according to its proposal for COVID-relief funds.
‘Taking a Mental Health Pulse: Student Mental Health and Academic ReAcclimation’ will be held Thursday from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m via Zoom.