The recent complaints from parents about behavioral problems at Butler Area School District have been alarming.

In Wednesday’s Butler Eagle, staff reported on administrators preparing an after-school intervention program for violators, which seems to only be a minority of the 2,003 students currently attending the senior high school.

According to Superintendent Brian White, the program will include academic and counseling support to put violators in a position where they can improve.

“It's not a short-term placement; it's intended for a semester or the school year,” White said.

Parents are concerned that well-behaved students are being bullied and intimidated by the students who are responsible for most of the violations.

School is supposed to be a safe space for children to grow and learn. Behavioral issues such as the ones in the circulating stories are counter-productive to the educational effort as well as to student mental health.

Parents need to be confident that they aren’t sending their children into a proverbial lion’s den, which is difficult to do if children are anxious about altercations happening among their peers throughout the day.

We commend the administrators on their efforts in doing everything they can to help improve behavior, as well as offering support for violators instead of just strict discipline.

Student mental health is a difficult maze to navigate, especially with everything on childrens’ plates nowadays. School is a different environment than it once was. Severe issues like these only throw more chaos into an already-volatile mix.

Remember to encourage open communication with your children. Helping them get their feelings out at home may head off problems or bring them to light.

—CM