School alerts parents to Netflix series '13 Reasons Why,' depression among students
Belleville News-DemocratApr 28, 2017
"This concern has actually come from observations that have been made due to the pressures that students are exposed to today," he said in an email to the
The school alerted parents to a new Netflix series that children could be watching called "13 Reasons Why." Baer said the series depicts depression and suicide, which might be "very close to home" for some students.
In "13 Reasons Why," high school student
Baer said a parent brought "13 Reasons Why" to his attention, so he spoke to teachers to find out if students were talking about the series or the book on which it's based.
"Teachers have heard rumblings from students having side conversations about the series," he said.
Baer said the staff at both the middle school and high school have been given resources since "13 Reasons Why" was released, including suggested talking points about the series and the warning signs of suicide from the
"While the book is not used formally as a teaching tool, if necessary, we have instructed staff to set boundaries and limits around conversations about the series and to reach out to counselors as needed," Baer stated in the email to parents.
The talking points that school staff were given are from
"Leaving messages from beyond the grave is a dramatization produced in
Other school leaders say they haven't introduced new resources, but their staff members do try to educate students about mental health.
In
When they get to high school, Andre said the focus is on suicide prevention, which involves teaching students to identify warning signs in themselves and friends.
But lessons about mental health are also integrated into the curriculum. Within health instruction, for example, Andre said students learn about social and emotional health. They're also exposed to issues related to
As a result of the programs and instruction, Andre said
"Many times, we will hear from students that they're worried about another student," she said.
In
"Over the last several years, because of additional stressors that affect lots of families, we certainly have students who struggle with mental health issues," he said.
One change Klosterman said the district has seen in recent years is a willingness to talk about depression.
"We're probably more likely to have conversations about that aspect of mental health," Klosterman said. "We try to be proactive about getting that conversation going."
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