Kelton Davis

Since the start of school this year, the specter of suicide has struck local schools multiple times.

Only weeks ago, a young high school student took his own life. This past week, another adolescent attempted suicide but survived.

Last year, students in multiple schools throughout the area died at their own hands.

The proximity of two impactful suicide events — one carried out tragically and another attempted, in a month’s time drives the Regional Office of Education for Monroe and Randolph Counties to take up the baton and enter this issue with all the force and persuasion the office can muster.

“Like a relay, it must start somewhere, but we all have to accept the challenge as a team.  And we cannot drop that baton,” Regional Superintendent of Schools Kelton Davis warned. “We need everyone to participate in the prevention of these overwhelming events.”

The statistics relating to suicide are devastating. Human Support Service reports that during the period from July 1, 2015 to Nov. 17, 2016, it has handled 253 calls to help potential suicide victims in Monroe County.  Nearly half have involved youngsters ages 18 and under.

According to Kendra Kennedy, Director of Counseling for Human Service Center, 30 percent of the hundreds of calls in the past year in Randolph County were from adolescents.

Suicide is not exclusive to any age group. An adult committed suicide the same day as the high school student mentioned above.

More recently, another community member was talked down from jumping off the Jefferson Barracks Bridge. Nationwide, 22 veterans commit suicide each and every day.

This problem cannot be solved through school-level education and intervention alone. Schools cannot “cure” the problem, as the issues underlying suicide are complex and schools are not mental health service providers.

Likewise, the legal system and even families, without strong support, are challenged to take on these issues.

According to HSS’s Anne King, a study in 2004 indicated that 87 percent of people who commit suicide have mental health issues. Many of those contributing factors stem from traumatic episodes that begin in childhood and may continue throughout individual and family development. They include such things as drug and alcohol abuse, divorce, sexual abuse, incarceration of a family member, violence in the home, bullying, cutting, and many more triggers that stem from or lead to anxiety, depression, and despair.

It will take the entire community to act with prevention and intervention, the ROE said.

The ROE is joining with groups, agencies and organizations across the two counties.

“Our communities must join in this effort if it is to be successful,” Davis said. “And it must succeed.”

Like infections, which spread often from person to person, suicide is not to be handled after the fact, but in a preventative manner.

The ROE said the entire community needs to discuss what parents, friends, family, and kids can do about this scourge.

Unfortunately, most are reluctant to try, or have little idea of how to intervene in this critical issue.

Area schools are addressing suicide with students, teachers and staff, in collaboration with the ROE, HSS, Human Service Center and Maidez Center with direct presentations to junior high and high school students.

Several sessions to learn about, discuss and come together, are slated for all citizens in the two counties.

The first session is set for Thursday, Dec. 1, at Waterloo High School from 6 to 7:30 p.m.  Two community presentations are being scheduled in Randolph County the week of Dec. 6.

A comprehensive plan to address this and other related issues is underway.

The ROE urges Monroe and Randolph County citizens to reserve those dates on your calendars.

Everyone has been touched by this, be it family, friend or colleague, the ROE says.

More details will be available at www.facebook.com/TheMaidezCenter or www.themaidezcenter.org.