LANSING, Mich. — A Michigan representative is discussing her plan to help prevent suicide in students.
Representative Andrea Schroeder said the "Save Our Students" plan would require schools that issue student identification cards to include a crisis and suicide prevention hotline on each card.
Schroeder said the suggestion for the plan came from an Oakland County mother who lost her son to suicide last year.
“When a child takes their own life, the grief strikes families and entire school communities with a sense of loss that’s hard to fathom,” said Schroeder, of Oakland County’s Independence Township. “It’s heartbreaking to realize this is happening more and more in Michigan and across the nation even though our schools and parents are working hard to educate our students on the importance of mental health awareness. Although we have services available, we must find better ways to connect our young people with the mental health services they need when they’re feeling overwhelmed and need help. The ‘Save Our Students’ plan will provide a number to call at any time, day or night – and with it comes a listening ear and a helping hand.”
Schroeder said the plan would apply to identification cards issued to students in grades sixth through 12 and districts would print phone numbers for a suicide prevention hotline of their choosing including local, statewide or nationwide on each card.
Currently, the representative said there is no requirement or mandate to issue identification cards and that the proposal only applies to schools that choose to provide students with identification cards.
In addition to adding a hotline number to the cards, the plan also requests that the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) provide information materials for schools related to suicide prevention, depression and anxiety, and schools would be encouraged to display that information on their websites and in select locations in school buildings, according to the representative.
“We must be proactive when it comes to raising awareness about mental health services, especially in our schools,” Schroeder said. “I have a child who struggled with depression and anxiety disorders and we were very concerned about self-harm. I made the kind of bargain desperate parents make, ‘Please, God, save my child. I vow to do everything in my power to save another.’ This legislation is a promise kept. I will continue to fight for these kinds of reforms to ensure our children know they have help readily available.”
The MDHHS said suicide is the second-largest cause of death for young people in Michigan between the ages of 10 and 24. The department said the suicide rate has been climbing over the past decade with the state's rate outgrowing the national rate from 2011 to 2017.
Want to see more local news ? Visit the FOX47News Website.
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere.
Download our free app for Apple and Android
and
Sign up for newsletters emailed to your inbox.
Select from these options: Breaking News, Severe Weather, School Closings, Daily Headlines and Daily Forecasts.
