According to the Connecticut State Department of Education, the 2023–24 school year saw a 44% increase in physical and verbal confrontations, totaling more than 30,000 incidents statewide—an average of 166 per school day. Nearly 7% of all students faced suspension or expulsion during the same period.

When Edward LaRose received a call from his daughter’s school saying she had expressed thoughts of self-harm, he didn’t panic — but he knew she needed help. Unsure where to turn, the school gave him two options: the emergency room or Wellmore Behavioral Health’s Urgent Crisis Center in Waterbury.