GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) – Wednesday’s flood of hoax calls has a price. For example, Anderson County says the most costly in these situations are resources such as deployed choppers.
But mental health counselors say there are other social costs.
Alan Hernandez, a freshman at Greenville High School, says he was in the middle of English class when he was suddenly interrupted.
“Rumors started circulating that someone had a gun,” Hernandez said.
And he says the class has been put on hold. According to Greenville Police, they provided aggressive law enforcement response to clear the school building, and as part of the protocol he also conducted EMS and fire. Meanwhile, Alan says he has other thoughts and remembers the shooting at Tanglewood Middle School in March.
“You don’t know what other people are going through. Things can go through their heads,” he said.
Hernandez calls this series of hoaxes irresponsible gut punches.
“No kidding,” he said.
Tiffney Parker (LMSW), Founder and CEO of Universal Therapeutic Services, provides mental health counselors and support to school and school-aged children. Parker says that hoax calls, like violence, have mental and emotional costs.
“I hope parents have difficult conversations with their kids,” Parker said. “You get hysterical. It creates this fear. And when it happens over and over again, that’s stress. And that level of stress on a habitual basis can lead to diagnoses, including anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder.” can lead to.”
Parker and the National Association of School Psychologists say parents should make time to talk, monitor their child’s emotional state, and keep the conversation appropriate.
“When we think of high school students, we prepare them for adulthood. Responsible adults who can take into account their own actions and emotions,” Parker said. “They can tell the guidance counselor very clearly, ‘I need to talk to someone’ and ‘I really need to take care of this.'” Encourage them to reach out and utilize their resources. “
Parker says it’s also important to maintain a regular routine. For more information, please contact Universal Therapeutic Services. https://universaltherapeuticservices.com/contact-us/
See more tips from the National Association of School Psychologists here. https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-safety-and-crisis/school-violence-resources/talking-to-children-about-violence-tips-for- parents and teachers
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