Bullying and mental illness are increasingly prominent issues in schools. The ever growing reach of social media makes it incredibly easy for nasty rumors to spread throughout the student body. Last school year, the anonymous app Yik Yak was used to spread mean and derogatory comments about several students at Neshaminy.

It’s not just Yik Yak. Instagram and Facebook pages have popped up for the sole purpose of mocking freshman. The things posted on these sites are available to everyone. As a result, it doesn’t take much time for the information to spread throughout a large portion of the student body.
While the option of going to an administrator is always there, many students feel that administrators are ineffective in stopping and punishing the bullies. Even if the bully is adequately dealt with, the mental and emotional scars won’t go away as easily.
Many students find themselves as the targets of bullying because of their race, religion, sexuality or gender. “Specific groups have an increased risk of suicide, including American Indian and Alaskan Native, Asian American, lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth,” according to a study by stopbullying.gov.
Jewish and Muslim kids often face bullying because of their religions as well.
“A bully may target you… because bullies pick on those they envy as well as those who don’t fit in,” Nadra Kareem Nittle wrote for about.com. “Students of color in predominantly white schools stand out in the crowd, they make convenient targets for bullies.”
This near constant barrage of harassment takes a toll on students. And if they can’t trust their teachers or administrators, they are left with very few options. A safe space in schools would give these vulnerable students a place to escape the torment.
A 2013 study by the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) revealed that 65 percent of students heard homophobic remarks during school hours. 85 percent were verbally assaulted because of their sexual or gender orientation. 30 percent of LGBT students missed at least one day of school because they felt unsafe.
If there was a safe space for these students, they would be able to find some relief from the intense discrimination. However, opponents of safe spaces claim that students would use safe spaces as a way to skip class without getting in trouble, resulting in decreased learning time.
If students had a safe space, their academic performance wouldn’t actually fall. According to GLSEN’s study, “LGBT students who experienced higher levels of victimization based on their sexual orientation had lower grade point averages…than students who were less often harassed…Students who experienced higher levels of victimization based on their gender expression were less likely to report that they planned to pursue any post-secondary education.”
If mentally ill students had someplace to go when under stress or while going through an episode, they might be able to release some of their stress, allowing them to focus better on their lessons and relieve them of any harmful urges.
While seeking professional treatment is a valid option for those with mental illness, therapy can be expensive and not all families have the money to spare.
It doesn’t always come down to suicide though. “Approximately 50 percent of students age 14 and older with a mental illness drop out of high school,” according to a 2014 report from the National Alliance on Mental Illness. If students had safe spaces to go to, the dropout rate would likely go down.
“I think having safe spaces is a smart idea. It gives kids a place to organize their thoughts,” Neshaminy senior Makenzie Mason said. “School isn’t always a welcoming place. It’s hard for a lot of kids to deal with.”