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D49 charter school hosts suicide prevention talk

Posted at 10:34 PM, Apr 30, 2018
and last updated 2018-05-01 00:34:34-04

A K-8 charter school is trying to get the conversation started early on suicide.

Monday night, Rocky Mountain Classical Academy invited parents to come out and learn about internet safety and suicide prevention.

The Colorado School Safety Resource Center says their office is getting calls almost every week from schools that have had a suicide.

Monday’s presentation went beyond just identifying symptoms of suicide, or suicidal thoughts.

They talked about what a modern-day bully looks like–both in school and on social media–and also provided an updated list of resources for parents and students.

This is the first in a series of presentations the charter school plans to host.

It wasn’t a huge turnout, but administrators say the night was just about getting the conversation started in their community.

"Many of the parents who I touched base with tonight are going home to speak with their neighbors and kids," said Rocky Mountain Classical Academy Principal Cullen McDowell.  

"And that’s what I want them to do is open up that conversation with their kids to help them out and show that they’re loved," he added.

"Oh my gosh–that’s just heartbreaking to know about those things and the pressures of life at that age," said Barbara Hagar, who has high school aged student, enrolled in a different school.

"I would say the biggest takeaway is that I found there are a lot of parents that are not as educated–including myself–about some of the programs out there.  I’ve learned a lot about some of the programs now that I can research for my kids," she added.

Tonight’s presentation actually drew in parents from other schools, outside D49.

Here is a list of those resources shared during tonight’s presentation:

Netsmarz.org
Safeteens.com
Webwisekids.org
Wiredsafety.com
sos.fbi.gov