EDITOR:
On Nov. 13 there was letter to the editor (Ron Schieber, former county commissioner) in The Landmark regarding the Children’s Services Fund tax that was approved by voters on Nov. 5, 2024. I’m grateful to The Landmark for sharing that even though the initiative passed with approval greater than 56%, the commission is considering taking it upon themselves to thwart the will of the voters and not implement the tax due to the word “may” in state legislation.
My family moved to Platte County six years ago and have found the most wonderful community. I can agree with the author on one thing, this is a community that loves our children. Therefore, I do not understand how implementing a tax approved by the voters could be in question. This idea that the commissioners know better than their constituents is alarming.
From what I understand, all three current county commissioners fought to keep this initiative off the ballot from the start and eagerly campaigned against it thereafter. It would appear that this team is out of touch with their constituents and the Children’s Services Fund tax could be dead on arrival. This would be like a parent giving a child a choice until they do not choose the option the parent desires.
The author claims we need to “heal the hearts of these kids.” In contrast, I (along with many others) believe that if you heal the mind the heart will follow. Actively working on your mental health has proven to positively influence your overall emotional state. We should support our children’s mental health as you would in any medical condition; the way you support diabetes, cardiovascular disease or asthma with evidence-based interventions.
These children need mental health support from trained professionals with psychology/social work degrees to address depression, substance abuse, ADHD, and a long list of other things that cannot be solved by youth groups and mentoring programs. Claiming that a youth group can do what these trained professionals do minimizes the value of their education and the important work they do in our society. Many of these professionals have 6+ years of education. Ultimately, engaging these professionals does cost money, but it will be an investment in our youth.
Why do I believe youth groups aren’t the answer? For many years, a faith-based approach and youth groups were said to be the solution for these problems that continue to persist. While these youth groups do provide our children with great strengths and developmental life skills, a peer, or group leader you know on a personal level is not always the person a child will trust to keep their conversations confidential. Without this level of trust and confidentiality, it may not be possible to tap the root of the problem. Mental health has remained a problem while the former approach has been unsuccessful in providing a proven solution.
The most recent Missouri Student Survey conducted by the Missouri Department of Mental Health (2022) revealed that 9.3% of participating Platte County students seriously considered suicide. The same survey cites data from the survey in 2020 and the result is also 9.3%. This, in addition to personal experience, is a significant reason my wife and I voted for the tax, and I implore the commission to implement it.
Mental health resources like those proposed in the measure could have prevented me from developing my own substance abuse issues at an early age. In my youth, mental health was something people often turned their nose at and was considered something that “tough it out” or tuck it deep down and “cope” with it. Coping with these issues rather than addressing them has led to substance abuse problems for my generation. Receiving treatment as an adult, I realized much of what I put myself and my family through could have been prevented if mental health support were available to me as a teen and young adult. I want better for my children and their friends. I want better for my community.
I ask the Platte County community to join me at the next commission meeting, scheduled on Monday, Dec. 16 to remind our elected officials that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
--Albert Keane
Platte County
