Safer Schools
- Stacy Hughes
- Jul 18
- 4 min read
Updated: Jul 28
I raised two children in South Jordan schools -- K through 12 -- and witnessed the joys and the heartbreaks that come with educating the next generation. Creating a safer community for our students leads to a stronger South Jordan.
The South Jordan City Council doesn't run schools, and shouldn't try to. But the Council can act to improve safety for our students -- our kids -- across the City. And the Council can serve as a powerful conduit to coordinate between local schools and the communities they serve.
My vision of a better South Jordan includes creating safer community infrastructure for our schools, students, teachers, and their families.
School safety and student well-being are crucial to the social, emotional, and academic development of the children of South Jordan. But safety is about more than outward symbols of protection (or internal use of discipline), it's about fostering connection.
Using my background in higher education and public affairs, I will focus on the following key areas:
Traffic and access safety issues surrounding our schools
Suicide prevention and anti-bullying measures
Childhood food insecurity
Post-secondary educational guidance for our students
Safer Schools Collaboration: According to a 2023 Department of Education study, communities that create positive and inclusive school climates better support students' well-being and more effectively result in safe learning environments. As South Jordan moves through a period of transition and growth, now is the time to evaluate our current policies and practices to consider how best to move forward in addressing future demands.
Safer School Access: Students, parents, drivers, and pedestrians rely on crosswalks, streets signs, traffic lights, and traffic enforcement to ensure safe, smooth, and streamlined access to school drop-offs and pick-ups. But, as neighborhoods grow is the City Council doing all it can to collaborate with local schools and other stakeholders to ensure traffic infrastructure grows with our community?
One of the tools designed to improve pedestrian safety is high-intensity-activated-crosswalk (HAWK) signals, also known as pedestrian hybrid beacons. Where, when, and how can we best implement these important and less-costly traffic control devices in our community?
Community Crisis Intervention & Suicide Prevention: child suicide is preventable among children receiving mental health support. How can South Jordan better partner children in crisis with available mental health resources?
"The basic belief of Zero Suicide is that suicide deaths for persons under care ... are preventable. It presents both a bold goal and a hopeful challenge."
Utah's Health and Human Services Zero Suicide initiative is built on data which shows that children with suicidal thoughts often fall through the cracks in a sometimes "disconnected or distracted system". When working with children and youth in South Jordan, public resources must also engage with parents, caregivers, and other adult influences in the child's life. such as schools, DCFS, and juvenile justice professionals to ensure no child's mental health needs are left behind. What is South Jordan doing to support our students in the days and weeks after a suicide attempt or pre-contemplation has been identified? Does our community have adequate resources to support students in crisis?
"The rates of childhood mental health concerns and suicide have risen steadily in recent decades with COVID-19 exacerbating the crisis. Stressors such as social isolation, academic and extracurricular disengagement, grief, family disruption, and economic instability underpin increased visits to emergency departments, suicide attempts, and suicide deaths. While suicide impacts all populations, youth of differing cultures, communities, and identities are disproportionately impacted."
Ackerman, J.P. & Horowitz, L.M.
Youth Suicide Prevention and Intervention, 2022
Childhood Mental Health Concerns: Youth with health and developmental needs, youth who are unhoused, living in foster care, and members of the LGBTQ community disproportionately experience risk factors for mental health challenges and suicide, including substance use and psychiatric disorders, exposure to ACES, and developmental trauma.
South Jordan is not immune to these challenges!
"Nearly all indicators of poor mental health, and suicidal thoughts and behaviors have worsened over the past decade, including the percentage of young people who seriously considered suicide or made an actual plan to take their own life. One in three young adults aged 18 to 25 nationwide have experienced a mental, behavioral, or emotional health issue {in 2022}."
Opportunity & Apprenticeship: Recognizing that poverty leads to a variety of complex issues in the classroom, from disruption to depression, as a city we must focus on economic opportunity, local apprenticeships, and skills-based education created in partnership with food pantries, emergency housing assistance, and affordable housing. Through my SoJo Works and Disciplined Development plans, I have a compassionate, empathetic, and innovative vision to provide smarter, smoother, and more streamlined resources to provide for student safety.
