An incident Tuesday highlights a growing concern in the community and the ways police are dealing with it.
Marysville Police Department Deputy Chief Tony Brooks said that about 1:22 p.m., Tuesday, the department was called to the Marysville School District’s TRI Academy.
“Originally it was reported as a threat or possible shooter,” Brooks said.
School officials implemented their safety plan and said the building went into what officials called, “a modified lockdown.”
While officers were responding to the scene, they were able to contact school officials and determine there did not seem to be a weapon involved.
Brooks said that when police arrived, they found a student who was “experiencing a mental health crisis.”
He explained that because of the crisis, the student, “thought someone was there to do him harm and other people harm.”
Police determined there were no weapons involved and “no incident ultimately occurred.”
He said police were able to get the boy to their car and were, “able to transport him to the appropriate mental health facility to get him help.”
In a statement Tuesday, Marysville School District Superintendent Diane Allen stressed that, “while the situation was very concerning, no staff or students were harmed during the encounter. There were no weapons involved in the incident.”
She said the situation was “handled quickly.” She said district officials are, “still actively investigating in partnership with the Marysville Police Department.”
Brooks said the police department is dealing with “a steady increase in mental health calls.” He said the department receives “multiple calls per shift” to help individuals in mental distress.
“These calls have increased substantially, especially since COVID-19,” Brooks said.
He added, “mental health is one of the biggest issues facing our community right now, especially with our youth.”
Brooks said every officer in the department participates in specialized training to help police interact with people with mental illness or a mental health crisis. The training helps officers identify an individual in crisis and deescalate the situation, reducing the chance of injury to both the individual and the officer.
“Our critical incident training is vital to having positive outcomes in these situations,” Brooks said.
Jonathan Langhals, Marysville School District assistant superintendent, said district staff and support team members are also offered training, “in regards to de-escalating a variety of student situations.”
He said the district offers, “lots of tools and resources” to address the social and emotional needs of students.
Langhals said the district has partnered with community organizations to provide free mental health services to students and create interventions and programs in the schools.
Those who need mental health help immediately are encouraged to call 1-800-731-5577, or text 4help to 85511 for help any time of day.
Maryhaven, 715 S. Plum St., Marysville, has crisis walk-in hours Monday – Friday from 8 a.m. to midnight and on Saturday and Sunday from 5 p.m. to midnight.
Those experiencing a crisis situation after Maryhaven’s business hours, are encouraged to call 911 or go to the emergency department at Memorial Hospital.
School officials noted that Tuesday’s incident can serve as an opportunity for parents to talk with their children.
“Safety is everyone’s responsibility,” Allen wrote in her statement. “Please take this opportunity to discuss with your child the importance of communicating with a trusted adult if they feel unsafe. When adults are made aware of potential problems, we can intervene and take appropriate action, many times prior to any incidents occurring.”
Marysville School District’s TRI Academy occupies a small portion of the Hope Center, 212 Chestnut St., and focuses on individualized instruction for high school age students, with a goal of getting at-risk learners back on track for graduation.