EDITORIAL: Many Jacksonville teens are living in a crisis state

Sept. 09--First in a series:

Teenagers in Duval County are telling us they are in crisis.

They are doing this through a confidential survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that is conducted every two years.

In 2017, a total of 4,633 middle school students and 3,493 high school students from Duval County made some disturbing comments:

--A shocking 1 in 5 high school students reported attempting suicide. This is a rate 26 percent higher than the state average.

--Also shocking is that local high schools are full of illegal drugs. A total of 1 in 3 high school students said they had been "offered, sold or given" an illegal drug on school property. And that's 61 percent higher than the state average.

--Too many high school students feel unsafe at school with 1 in 10 saying they have not gone to school because they were worried about safety either at school or on the way to school. The most dangerous neighborhoods spotlighted by the students were Arlington and the Eastside.

--Sexual assaults are a serious issue as well with 1 in 10 high school students saying they have experienced at least one occasion in which sex was forced. That's a rate 46 percent higher than the statewide average.

--Too many Duval high school students don't have healthy weights. A total of 1 in 7 are obese; in comparison just 1 in 10 students elsewhere in Florida are obese.

Some of Duval's more troubling health statistics include a high rate of sexually transmitted infections and a high rate of premature death. Duval also has higher rates than the state average in alcohol-impaired driving deaths and violent crime.

Duval Superintendent Diana Greene told the Times-Union Editorial Board that the school district needs help from the entire community, which she has called "Team Duval."

"This is not uncommon for a big city," she said of the troubling statistics. "Duval County has 197 schools including the charters. It can't just be the school district. We need other partners to be part of the team."

Students may be off track for reasons other than classrooms.

"The environments they go home to may be unstable and they may be in unstable neighborhoods where other things are priorities other than education," Greene said.

For instance, students have told Joe Peppers, CEO of the Kids Hope Alliance, that it's as easy to get a handgun as a bag of Skittles.

"I have seen the magnitude of the issues but I also have seen the magnitude to the compassion and passion of other organizations wanting to support our school district such as United Way, Kids Hope Alliance, Jacksonville Public Education Fund and Lutheran Social Services."

The elephant in the room, she said, is providing evidence that programs are making a difference.

Mayor Lenny Curry began a project designed to increase physical activity and encourage residents to lose weight citywide. And at a recent meeting of the JAX USA Partnership Curry called on the business community to provide more mentors.

There are examples of cities that have made progress in pushing healthy habits. Oklahoma City's mayor, for instance, began a program in 2007 that led to city residents losing 1 million pounds by 2012.

The YMCAs nationally have partnered with the American Medical Association to foster healthier lifestyles. Locally, the Winston Family YMCA Downtown has a special area that fosters attention to medical and dietary programs that is open to anyone, not just members of the Y.

There is a project to raise awareness of mental health in Jacksonville by teaching Mental Health First-Aid through the city.

However, every segment of the city needs to redouble its efforts to promote the health of our young people. More partnerships need to be set up with the public schools, especially those in troubled parts of the city.

Add up all of these health and safety indicators and it's clear that Duval County has a crisis on its hands.

This is a crisis that demands attention from more than the school system; it requires attention from every sector of Jacksonville. That means City Hall, the business community and nonprofits.

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