Loudoun Now for Sept. 29, 2021

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n LOUDOUN

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DISCOVER LOUDOUN SPECIAL SECTION INSIDE

VOL. 6, NO. 45

We've got you covered. In the mail weekly. Online always at LoudounNow.com

SEPTEMBER 30, 2021

Schools Mental Health Task Force Gets to Work HAYLEY BOUR hbour@loudounnow.com

With suicide rates rising at an alarming rate among teens, and an already strained mental healthcare system, the Loudoun’s school district is looking to fill the gaps and meet student needs with its Mental Health Taskforce. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the county’s approximately 84,000 students into remote learning in March 2020 and upended normalcy for all students. The isolation, parents and professionals agree, took a toll on children. The taskforce, formed by Superintendent Scott Ziegler in May, taps student leaders to assess and share with the unified mental health team where resources fall short. Ziegler said that the main charge of the group is to figure out how

to best transition students back to in-person learning. The task force got to work this month, coinciding with Suicide Prevention Awareness Month. According to Chief of Staff Mark Smith, the task force will aim to present to the School Board an analysis of mental health services for students as well as recommendations on changes in January.

A Youth Epidemic When School Board member Beth Barts (Leesburg) decided to run for office, mental health among youth had shaken her community and resonated with her. She made it one of her goals to fight for more resources for students. She recalled the loss of Jay Gallagher, a Potomac Falls student, to suicide in 2016. She said that the loss rallied the community and forced the school district to acknowledge issues.

The pandemic, she said, took a complex and pervasive issue and made it worse. “We have come a long way since 2016 and the community rallying for additional mental health services, but we still have work to do,” Barts said. According to the Virginia Department of Health, the number of deaths by suicide among people across the state ages 10-19 increased form five in the first quarter of 2020 to at least 32 deaths in the first quarter of 2021. Additionally, the Centers for Disease control reported that among teens, mental health-related visits to emergency rooms increased by 31% in 2020. The Loudoun-based Ryan Bartel Foundation, named for a student lost to suicide and whose mission is to prevent youth suicide, surveyed local teens and found that most who are suffering from mental

health issues have angst attributable to the pandemic, ranging from worries about transmitting COVID to younger siblings, to re-engaging with peers after nearly two years of distance or hybrid learning.

A Multi-tiered Approach The task force is just one element of the district’s strategy to ensure resources are thoroughly deployed throughout the county. In recent years, the district administration cultivated unified mental health teams for each school, which include school psychologists, school social workers, student assistance specialists, school counselors, school nurses, and administrators. Supports for students are broken up MENTAL HEALTH continues on page 25

Judge Faces Calls for Removal After Jailing Alleged Domestic Violence Victim BY RENSS GREENE

rgreene@loudounnow.com

Circuit Court Judge James P. Fisher is facing calls for censure less than three years into his first term after he jailed an alleged victim of domestic violence in the middle of her testimony, asserting that she was under the influence of marijuana. Critics including longtime advocate for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault and for women’s rights Lisa Sales, Commonwealth’s Attorney Buta Biberaj, two county supervisors, and the woman’s attorney Thomas Plofchan have called for the General Assembly to take action against Fisher. And, they warned, Fisher’s actions could further discourage survivors from reporting a crime that they already have difficulty bringing to the

Renss Greene/Loudoun Now

justice system and winning in court. “To treat victims as though they are criminals themselves is unforgivable and should not be tolerated,” Sales said during a Sept. 23 protest outside the Loudoun County courthouse. “Judge Fisher should have been calling balls and strikes in this proceeding, and he should not himself have been prosecuting the victim.” The woman, Katie Orndoff, was testifying in a case against James Paige Phillips, who is charged with felony assault and battery of a family member, third or subsequent offense. He is accused of punching her twice in the face while she was driving on Rt. 15, and has pleaded not guilty. About 90 minutes into Orndoff ’s testimony, Fisher

Lisa Sales speaks at a protest outside the Loudoun County Courthouse Thursday, Sept. 23.

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