In case you've never heard of the CHOICES program, it's an on-campus alternative school. The issue is they have some rather absurd rules that students are required to follow, and one of which includes no visible signs of self-harming, or else said student will be counted absent for that day.

As someone who struggles with self-harm, I find this to be a quite tone-deaf statement. Because instead of trying to truly help these students, the Denton ISD school district is implicitly implying that they'd better put a band-aid on their mental health struggles and learn to suffer through it.

A better alternative to the CHOICES program (as my school is calling it) would be the ADAPT/HOPE program that's being enforced in Lewisville ISD. Which helps the students through their problems instead of neglecting them and treating them similar to prisoners. The ADAPT/HOPE program focuses on covering a variety of topics such as communication, coping skills, and boundaries. Both parents and students attend once a week for 3 weeks.

Please help me to make a change in the lives of my fellow students.