NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — By no means was Tuesday a normal school day for students at Antioch High School.
There were two walk-outs, and the school debuted a new weapons detection system. Just six days ago, in the cafeteria, a 16-year-old student was shot to death by a 17-year-old student who turned the gun on himself.
We know this is heavy, especially for teens and we are committed to helping these students heal.
In Antioch and across Tennessee, teens are telling us they want something to change. In the last 24 hours, they demonstrated outside their school and both outside and inside the Tennessee Capitol.
"They're scared. They're crying out for help," said Kara James.
James is a co-founder and the executive director of The F.I.N.D. Design. Her organization partners with several Metro Nashville Public Schools and Davidson County Juvenile Court to equip Black and Brown girls with tools to address trauma and adult-like expectations.
At Antioch High, more than half of the students are Hispanic or Black.
"When you have such a diverse school — we're talking about over 30 some odd languages at Antioch High — it's hard to find specific and intentional programming that can address the unique needs of those particular students," James said.
According to The F.I.N.D. Design and researchers at The University of Tennessee, the counselor-to-student ratio in Tennessee is just one school counselor to every 339 students.
In Antioch High's staff directory, there are only six counselors.
When students aren't checked on, stress can get the best of them.
"What happens is they respond to their trauma in negative ways, and instead of looking at their PTSD, we penalize them for the behavior and reaction to the trauma," James said.
Also according to their research in Tennessee, Black girls are four times more likely to be suspended once, and over 15 times more likely to be suspended multiple times.
The research is linked here.
"You cannot group [kids] together as one. They have different needs, religions, and cultures," James said.
James, who graduated from Antioch High, said to me more important than more metal detectors are more mental detectors in schools.
"It was personal and it broke my heart," she said.
School officials did tell us academics will take a backseat for the remainder of the week at Antioch High School. They will continue to work on community-building activities and other restorative practices.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at hannah.mcdonald@newschannel5.com.
In this time of NIL deals and transfer portals, this is a refreshing story about the best of college athletics. A must watch for all young athletes with big dreams. I already showed my boys, and I can tell you Jack has some new fans!
-Carrie Sharp
