Whatever your position on how to handle the ever increasing violence in schools, social settings and the work place, one thing is certain, more attention needs to be given to addressing preventative measures. 

TWIN FALLS, Idaho (KMVT/KSVT) — As a parent, when you send your children to school, you want them to be safe. One Twin Falls father learned, however, that not only was his daughter attacked on campus but there was video evidence of the altercation.

One evening in mid-October, Leslie Montgomery said her daughter received a barrage of emails to her school email account. Montgomery said her daughter— a seventh grader at the Christian private school Greenleaf Friends Academy — had been the subject of bullying by fellow students since enrolling in the school last year.

The pandemic didn’t create new mental health issues on campus, says Matt Niece, Boise State University’s director of counseling services. Instead, the pandemic intensified existing issues, such as anxiety, depression and trauma. Loneliness and homesickness — already a priority for Boise State counselors, pre-COVID — only became worse. Students felt physically alone, and isolated in a polarized, politicized climate.

Boise State University has received a campus grant from the federal Office of Violence Against Women, and this grant has allowed the Gender Equity Center to expand its on-campus efforts to keep the campus safe. The Gender Equity Center is among the wide variety of resources available for students on campus, including survivors of relationship violence.

Idaho high school students reported less bullying, cigarette smoking and sexual activity in the State Department of Education’s biannual youth risk behavior survey. But teens reported increased e-cigarette use, feelings of hopelessness and suicidal thoughts.

For many young adults, college is a time full of excitement and exploration. However, this time can also be challenging for students' mental health. For this reason it’s important to know the common warning signs of mental health issues and the resources that are available to students for help.

About 2.5 million children in the U.S. currently are homeless, according to the National Center on Family Homelessness. That number is rising as house prices and rental costs continue to grow in cities large and small, and the trend is clearly visible in Boise — the fastest-growing city in the nation.