This story mentions suicide by children. The National Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by dialing 988.
Parents and community members are calling for action after multiple student suicides have been reported in Boone County School District.
The mother and grandmother of a student who died by suicide brought the issue to a Boone County Board of Education meeting on Feb. 13.
Jaimee Seitz spoke at the meeting and said her 13-year-old daughter, who attended Ockerman Middle School in Florence, died by suicide in December. Seitz said there have been seven student suicides in the district in recent months, though the district did not confirm that.
“We have to come up with something,” Seitz said at the meeting. “The moms out here are willing to do anything. The siblings of the kids are willing to do anything. For free. We don’t need money; we just don’t want anyone else to have to suffer.”
Seitz’s mother, Sue Neltner, also addressed the board of education at the meeting. Neltner called upon the board for immediate action.
“We’re at a loss,” Neltner said at the meeting. “I don’t think my daughter has had the school reach out to her as much as she should have had. I don’t know about the other parents. She still has her Chrome Book. Nobody’s called her for her Chrome Book. Those are the things I think need to be on your agenda. To reach out to the parents who have lost a child.”
Neltner specifically said the school needed to reach children in younger grades before they got to middle and high school.
“It was sad for me to not have anyone reach out,” Seitz said. “Even for her Chrome Book. It was like I was forgotten. As if she was forgotten.”
Boone County Board of Education Chair Jesse Parks said the topic has been discussed among the board members for weeks.
“This particular issue that we’re discussing tonight, it’s different and it’s frightening,” Parks said at the meeting. “It’s something that we constantly talk about and are trying to do the best we can as a school district.”
Seitz’s sister, Chasity Wiseman, started a petition to implement a liaison-based suicide prevention program in Boone County Schools. The petition has been up for one day, and as of publication, it has received over 3,200 signatures and counting.
“This petition, therefore, calls upon the Boone County School Board to recognize the urgency of this situation and kick-start effective suicide prevention strategies,” the petition states. “While our schools are places of learning, they should also be spaces of emotional and psychological support.
“We need to enrich our students’ environment with accessible resources, including the possibility for them to reach out anonymously and discuss their feelings. Enhancing in-person support through trained counselors and organized support groups can allow our students to understand they are not alone in their struggles.”
LINK nky spoke with the Boone County School District, which said it could not comment on the story further than what it released in an email on Feb. 10.
“The district also has a long history of creating and providing mental health and suicide prevention and awareness programs used in our schools,” said Boone County Schools/Community Relations Coordinator Barbara Brady in the Feb. 10 email. “We have school counselors in every school. Those counselors encourage open communication and offer safe spaces for teens to express their feelings and concerns.”
Brady said in the Feb. 10 email that the district prioritizes health, wellness and safety by implementing comprehensive prevention strategies supported by policies and procedures. Those include access to school-based health services, proactive mental health initiatives, and education and training for staff, students and families focusing on recognizing and addressing health and wellness concerns.
Parks said during the Feb. 13 meeting that the school district has had members of the community request that the school not ask their children how they are doing in the past. Parks said the district has an opt-out policy for parents who do not want their children to participate.
“Myself, my family, we will do everything we can to bolster services for mental health in Boone County because it’s the right thing to do,” Parks said. “Not because it’s part of the curriculum or anything like that. It’s the right thing to do.”
According to data from the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, between 2015 and 2020, suicide rates increased for those ages 15 to 24, 25 to 34, and 35 to 44.
The Northern Kentucky Survivors of Suicide group is an open door to those who have lost someone they know and care about due to suicide. The group has members who have lost friends, co-workers, parents, siblings and children.
The meetings are held at 7 p.m. on the second Monday of every month at 15 S Fort Thomas Ave. in Fort Thomas. All are welcome, and registration is not required. Anyone who wishes to contact the group can do so here.
Other resources aside from the Northern Kentucky Survivors of Suicide meetings include:
- American Foundation for Suicide Prevention offers support and information for both people struggling with depression and thoughts of suicide, as well as survivors.
- The National Alliance on Mental Illness is an organization dedicated to building better lives for those affected by mental illness.
- Suicide & Crisis Lifeline can be reached by dialing 988.
The Boone County School District offered this information in a statement: Any student who feels bullied, abused, sad or depressed or who has experienced threats of violence or concerning behavior can reach out to a school administrator, counselor, or trusted teacher for assistance. Anyone can also make an anonymous report on the KCSS S.T.O.P. Tipline found on the Boone County School’s website or by calling/texting 866-EYE-on KY (866-393-6659).
Join in the conversation on teen mental health at LINK nky’s upcoming community conversation on April 17, learn more here.