Local Organizations Predict That Abuse Cases Not Being Reported Because Teachers Can’t Notice Warning Signs

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Distance learning has presented challenges for all students and families, but it’s particularly challenging for students experiencing homelessness or living in abusive households as resources are harder to access and the safety that comes with being at school during the day is lost.

According to data collected by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), there were 195 students experiencing homelessness in the Centralia School District and 174 in the Chehalis School District in 2019.

“When I think about what it means to be in school, obviously education is a big part of it but for some kids, that’s the only smiling face they see in a day. Students falling behind academically is scary but not having a safe adult in their life is pretty terrifying,” said  J.P. Anderson, director of Lewis County Public Health and Social Services.

Homelessness in the case of minors is defined as individuals 18 or younger living without parents and without a fixed and regular nighttime residence or has a primary residence that is a supervised temporary shelter, a halfway house, or a place not designed for sleeping by people.

For students living in abusive households or experiencing homelessness, being at school and having access to food and a supportive teacher can be the place where that student feels the safest during the day. Distance learning has posed new challenges as disadvantaged students must find a quiet place with internet access in order to continue their education.

“In terms of homeless students, they are definitely among the most vulnerable in our community,” said Anderson. “Oftentimes schools don’t know who is homeless and that information could be not as clear because homeless students often don’t want to tell their teachers or their peers,” Anderson said.

Identifying students who may be experiencing abuse and creating an environment where students feel comfortable asking for help is challenging even when students attend in-person school because communication can be difficult, Anderson said.  

“When we think about our plan to help schools restart safely, vulnerable students are kind of the central concern and really the reason for our work right now with superintendents, pediatricians and our health officer. A big part of that discussion is our shared concern for our vulnerable students,” he said.

Anderson said that the LCPHSS takes into account the “social determinants to health” which include living situations, access to education, after-school school activities, food — and how those aspects impact the overall health of an individual. He said it’s particularly important when it comes to children because, in general, children are more vulnerable to the lasting effects of trauma. 

Adverse Childhood Experiences, often referred to as ACEs, is a way to quantify the difficult circumstances children face during childhood. 

Students with higher ACE scores are more likely to be prone to all health conditions — increased risk for heart disease, cancer, smoking, drug abuse, anxiety, depression and thoughts of suicide.

“If what’s happening generally is students are experiencing more trauma — if your family’s finances are impacted or if you’re no longer able to get support from peers or teachers at school — we would expect that there is a negative outcome and that is very concerning,” said Anderson.

Hope Alliance is a local organization that provides free and confidential advocacy services for those affected by domestic violence or sexual assault throughout Lewis County. Hope Alliance Executive Director Kris Camenzind thinks that because teachers aren’t able to notice signs of abuse at school, the number of reported cases has decreased. 

“One of the things that we have noticed is a decline in child sexual assault cases that we’re working with and I think that part of the reason for that is teachers are not around, kids are being isolated at home and there aren’t other eyes on them,” she said.

Camenzind said that Lewis County has the highest number of child sexual assault cases per capita in the state. She attributes some of that to the county not having a coordinated community response to sexual abuse.

The child sexual assault cases that have been reported recently are severe, Camenzind said. 

“All of our cases seem to be extreme, more so than before COVID. I’ve been doing this work for over 20 years and just when I think I’ll never hear a story that can top that one — I do. It’s really traumatizing, life-changing courses that some people are on right now,” said Camenzind.

Before the school closures in March, Hope Alliance had support groups in some Lewis County schools, but that program has been put on hold until school reopens or when the future of schools is more clear.

Hope Alliance still offers 24/7 services over the phone at 360 748-6601 and the office is located at 815 W Main St. in Centralia.



Cascade Mental Health Care usually has a program within several Lewis County school districts that provides counseling and services to at-risk students, but those programs have been disrupted since the school closures in March. Cascade has transitioned some of their counseling services to an online format.

“We have to be flexible to figure out a way to meet the needs of the students that are starting to drop off the map. When we ask ‘what about those students that were barely hanging on a year ago?’ and of the things we are doing is keeping open lines of communication with the schools,” said Russ Funk, child and associated services director at Cascade Mental Health Care.

Funk oversees the partnerships with the Lewis County school districts. He said that Cascade is still an available resource for those needing any sort of mental health services. He encourages any student who feels lost or hopeless to reach out. 

“What we’re seeing is increased overall anxiety in kids and families because it’s harder for humans to thrive in periods of uncertainty. Trying to figure out what the school year is going to look like is still a big question mark,” he said.

Students who may be coming from unstable homes are able to request mental health services without notifying their parents starting at the age of 13. Resources at Cascade Mental Health Care can be reached at 360-330-9044. Cascade also has a “crisis line” that is available 24/7 for those in need at 1-800-803-8833. 

Guidance from OSPI states that school districts can bring in students to the school in groups of up to five students. Those can be more vulnerable students, special education students, English language learners or any other group of students the district feels would benefit from coming to the building.

Centralia School District Superintendent Lisa Grant said that the district is “working to create a plan to make sure students experiencing homelessness have what they need to be successful and engaged with school.”

James Bower, the Homelessness Liaison with the Centralia School District, said  fulfilling the needs of students experiencing homelessness is a top priority for the district.

The McKinney-Vento Act is federal legislation that has been in effect since 1987 to support children and youth experiencing homelessness within school districts. Under this act, students experiencing homelessness can get help enrolling in school, get access to free meals and transportation.

“If I find that one of my McKinney-Vento kids or whoever else is in need of some assistance and needs to come into the building then of course, we would make that happen. If anyone needs help we just need them to ask. There are people here that can help,” said Bower.

Bower said everyone who is teaching online with kids will continue to report anything that raises a concern and school counselors are still in touch with students.

Kim Justice, executive director of the office of homeless youth with the department of commerce, gave her perspective from the state level on the impact distance-learning and COVID-19 are having on students experiencing homelessness. 

“With COVID it just adds a whole new layer of challenge to every student everywhere but I think those challenges fall hardest on young people who are already experiencing instability in their lives,” she said.

Justice said that even before COVID, there were a lot of inequities within the educational system. She said 60 percent of homeless students in the state are also people of color. 

The Seattle Times reported in an article titled, “For 40,000 Homeless Students, it’s Back-to-School Season in Washington,” that the number of homeless students state-wide had increased by 34 percent from 2013 to 2018. 

“For many young people, school is often the safest place for them. The home may be chaotic or maybe they don’t have a home and they’re couch surfing, or they’re on the streets. School is this one guaranteed physical place that they could go where they can feel safe and get their needs met,” said Justice. “When you strip that away, school becomes something different entirely.”

School serves many more purposes than just providing education and understanding what all students are going to be missing with the distance learning model is still being understood. 

“There’s the academic piece, which is the primary function of the school, and how that can affect a student’s long-term trajectory … Because of all of these barriers, the risk of kids dropping out of school is pretty significant — especially for the population of students experiencing housing instability,” said Justice.