The closure of schools for nearly two years during the COVID-19 pandemic has had definite negative effects on young people, Linn County Oregon Juvenile Director Torri Lynn told the Linn County Board of Commissioners Tuesday morning.

Lynn said that the Juvenile Department is seeing an uptick in referrals now that schools are back in full session and many of the young people are exhibiting significant behavioral issues.

Lynn said there were 59 referrals in April, which seems to be trending as normal this year.

Lynn said the behavior issues are likely linked to the isolation of students and for many, a lack of a positive role model during the closure.

Board Chairman Roger Nyquist asked Lynn if he thought school closures were a bad idea,

Lynn said yes, “absolutely a bad idea” adding he said the same thing as closures were being proposed two years ago.

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

A D V E R T I S E M E N T

“During the COVID closures, we only saw the highest flyers,” Lynn said. “We talked about this. That we might lose kids educationally and other kids would be on the edge. We probably won’t get these kids back.”

Commissioner Sherrie Sprenger asked how the county can combat what appears to be an escalating issue.

Lynn said the key will be early intervention and appropriate response, but he added, like everywhere else, it is difficult to find staffing.

Overall, in April there were 206 young people on probation or pending court appearances in Linn County, with 47 assessed as high-risk.


--Ben Fisher

Post Date: 2023-05-24 16:14:01

Last Update: 2023-05-24 16:22:26