SANDPOINT — Parents, teachers and district staff gathered at Sandpoint High School for the Lake Pend Oreille School District’s third annual safety summit.
This year’s hour-and-a-half event focused on the mental health of students, giving parents ideas on how to be there for their children and letting them know what support services are available in the community. The summit was headlined by a panel of three local mental health professionals, Dr. Joe Wassif, Jill Hicks and Dr. Megan Fox, who gave a presentation and answered questions throughout the night.
“We’re incredibly grateful to everyone who helped make last night’s Student Safety Summit possible,” LPOSD Superintendent Dr. Becky Meyer said in a statement. “We’re especially appreciative of the community members who generously shared their time and perspectives as speakers, and to Bonner General Health and Kaniksu Community Health for their support in providing food and childcare. It’s through this kind of partnership and shared commitment that we’re able to better support the wellbeing of our students and families.”
The trio of professionals kicked off the event with a short keynote speech in which they took turns going over some of the signs that a student could be struggling with their mental health and how parents can support them. All three said parents need to play an active role in their children’s lives to best support them and that showing up is one of the most important things a parent can do for them.
Wassif said mental health struggles and suicidality are far more common among teens than many realize and pushed parents to have open dialogues with their kids. During her portion of the presentation, Fox spoke about sitting down and always opening with validation, not just of a student’s achievements, but of their own worth.
“My advice to all the parents out there is, have the conversation,” Wassif said. “If you’re wondering if that’s what’s going on in your child’s mind, and you’re worried about, if I bring this up, am I going to plant the seed? Then now they’re really thinking about it. It is far better to have the conversation than not, so don’t be afraid to ask.”
In addition to the Q&A with the mental health professionals, the district also offered two other sessions that attendees could rotate between. One of the two was put on by the district’s counselors about their experience and what they’ve seen, while the other was put on by two local pastors about how to support your child through faith.
Adam Noble, a teacher in the district and parent of six students, said he was glad to see a session focused on supporting your child through faith-based means. Noble said that his main takeaway from the event was that parents must be the main support system for their kids.
“I’m glad that they were there because the community expressed that they wanted to see that side,” Noble said referring to the faith-based presentation. “It is an important side to for the kids, and I see such a lack of guiding, inner light… so it was neat to see that group present the patterns that they’ve established.”
Noble said an idea shared during the faith-based session where former LPOSD trustee and pastor Jalon Peters told attendees to be conscious of making more deposits, than withdrawals with their kids stuck with him.
During the session, Peters explained that making deposits can look different for every child and parent but can be as simple as saying “I love you” or apologizing when you’ve made a mistake.
SHS teacher Chase Tigert said he appreciated being able to hear from the district’s counselors and get a better idea of how they help students day-to-day.
“My biggest takeaway was just this idea of connection with our kids, being there for them, making ourselves available and giving them an opportunity to be vulnerable with them,” Tigert said. “At the end of the day, they learn from us and we want to make sure we’re guiding them in the right direction.”
The information and resources shared by the mental health professional will be uploaded to the district website soon and can be found at lposd.org/public-information/safety-security/student-safety-summits.
Cedar Hills Pastor Kimberly Drechsel speaks during the faith-based support session during the LPOSD student safety summit.