California community convenes following local teen suicides

By Staff Writer

School officials and community members in a California city recently gathered to raise awareness about teen suicide.

The meeting was organized following reports that two teenagers in the same county had committed suicide in the past week, according to FOX-affiliate KTVU. Although law enforcement officials had yet to determine the reasons behind the suicides, local teenagers speculated that bullying may have been a contributing factor.

School district officials said they are cautious when responding to suicides within the community to avoid sending out the wrong message to students.

"We don't want to ceremonialize a suicide because we don't want kids to start thinking of doing it to get a lot of attention," the school board president told the news provider.

The news source quoted one parent who said that children who live in affluent communities can, at times, feel more pressure because of the high standards that are set by parents and educators.

Research conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention revealed that 15 percent of high school students had seriously considered suicide, while 7 percent reported that they attempted to take their own life within the year preceding the survey.