Dallas, Texas (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Gaggle’s new Reach The Student Crisis Line was launched and is being rolled out to K-12 districts nationwide, helping schools immediately support students with live, trained crisis counselors.
Young people today continue to struggle with their mental and emotional health. Often they don’t have a trusted adult to talk to. THE The CDC released a harrowing report on February 13, 2023 noting the seriousness of the student mental health and safety crisis. Overall, student mental health continues to deteriorate, with more than 40% of high school students feeling so sad or hopeless that they were unable to engage in their regular activities for at least two weeks in course of the previous year. In 2021, 22% of high school students have seriously considered attempting suicide, while 18% have made a suicide plan in the past year.
To help tackle our country’s youth mental health crisis, Gaggle ReachOut, powered by Amazon Web Services (AWS), provides instant support from trained crisis counselors for students experiencing anxiety, depression, bullying, abuse, and suicidal ideation. Gaggle ReachOut was built on AWS and uses Amazon Connect, an easy-to-use and cost-effective omnichannel cloud contact center.
School districts are assigned their own dedicated “Crisis Line Number,” which is set up to receive communications from students via text, online chat, or phone – depending on the student’s preference. Gaggle’s trained and dedicated crisis counselors provide prompt support for students – someone who listens, cares, and suggests ways to defuse impulsive situations and behaviors 24/7.
“At every step of our research and implementation phases, the ReachOut team was there to support us in a variety of ways. Their entire team made sure that the requirements of our district team and the needs of our students were at the forefront. Shortly after our launch date, the district faced tragedy. The entire ReachOut team was there for our entire school community, ready to provide as much support as possible. We are grateful to have ReachOut as another layer of SEL support for our students,” said Pembroke School District Chief Technology Officer Ryan MacKeller.
“True to our mission to save lives and keep children safe, we now offer students access to a real person who can listen to them when they are facing a mental or emotional challenge,” said Jeff Patterson, CEO and Founder of Gaggle. “ReachOut offers immediate, round-the-clock support to students. Ultimately, children need to feel loved. ReachOut does just that by providing a human connection that is often lacking in today’s highly digital and disconnected world. »
“We were proud to work with Gaggle in their efforts to help schools expand access to mental health support for students. These additional support systems are needed now more than ever, given the growing mental health issues facing our young people today,” said Annmarie Lehner, Head of Business Development and K-12 Strategy at AWS.
To learn more about ReachOut by Gaggle, visit gaggle.net/reachout . To learn more about how AWS is driving innovation in education, visit aws.amazon.com/education.
About Gaggle
Since 1999, Gaggle has been the leader in helping K-12 districts manage student safety on school-provided technology. Using a powerful combination of artificial intelligence and trained security experts, the security solution proactively assists districts 24/7/365 in preventing student suicide, bullying, inappropriate behavior, school violence and other harmful situations. Most importantly, Gaggle continues to help hundreds of districts prevent tragedy and save lives. During the 2021-2022 academic year, Gaggle helped districts save the lives of 1,562 students who were planning or actively attempting suicide. For more information, visit www.gaggle.net and follow Gaggle on LinkedIn.
eSchool Media staff cover all aspects of education technology, from legislation and litigation to best practices, lessons learned and new products. First published in March 1998 as a monthly print and digital journal, eSchool Media provides the news and information needed to help K-20 decision-makers successfully use technology and innovation to transform schools and colleges and achieve their educational goals.