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WV Department of Education training tells school staff how to spot, respond to eating disorders and self-harm
Summary
A Department of Education training video for West Virginia school personnel and volunteers summarized warning signs, response steps, treatment options and prevention strategies for eating disorders and self-harm, and noted House Bill 4074 requires training for school employees and volunteers and yearly student information in grades 5–12.
In a training video produced by the West Virginia Department of Education, host Jim Strawn introduced a session for school personnel and volunteers that outlined how to recognize and respond to eating disorders and self-harm, and said House Bill 4074 "otherwise known as Megan's Law" requires training for public school employees and annual information for students in grades 5–12.
The lesson, presented by Autumn Wagner, youth resource coordinator for Mission West Virginia, explained common signs of anorexia and bulimia, recommended immediate steps staff can take, summarized treatment options and encouraged prevention through teaching coping skills and reducing stigma.
Wagner, who said she is "in recovery from Bulimia," described bulimia as cycles of bingeing and purging and anorexia as restrictive eating to appear thin. She told viewers that both disorders are among mental illnesses with the "second highest fatalities," and that medical complications can include stroke, heart attack and organ failure if disorders are not treated.
The training listed observable signs staff can watch for: significant weight fluctuation or clothes chosen to hide weight changes; picking at food in the cafeteria or going to the bathroom immediately after meals; social withdrawal or dropping out of activities; mood changes and declining grades. Wagner also described self-harm signs, including patterned cuts (commonly on arms or thighs), burns or other deliberate injuries, and wearing long sleeves in hot weather to hide wounds.
On how to respond, Wagner said all school staff have a role. "If you see something, you say something," she said, advising staff who are uncomfortable speaking directly with a student to report concerns to school counselors, psychologists or social workers so the school can initiate help. She emphasized not ignoring possible warning signs and avoiding assumptions that someone else has already acted.
Wagner outlined treatment options: individual counseling, group therapy, family therapy and, for severe cases, inpatient programs that she said can last "anywhere from 30 days to 6 months." She also urged prevention strategies such as teaching healthy coping skills (deep breathing, exercise, brief classroom breaks), integrating social-emotional learning and reducing stigma so students feel safe to seek help.
For local resources, Wagner identified Mission West Virginia (her employer, based in Hurricane in Putnam County) as providing school-based support across "all 55 counties" and recommended national and state resources: the National Eating Disorders Association (NEDA, neda.org), the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI, nami.org), Help 4 WV and HELP 304 for crisis support and referrals.
The training was presented for school personnel and volunteers rather than students. The session closed with a reminder to consult the West Virginia Department of Education Office of Student Support and Well-Being for additional materials and an educator guide the presenter said was developed with the department to help teachers integrate prevention and coping strategies safely into classrooms.
