Parents demand answers from Pine-Richland SD after student suicides

ALLEGHENY COUNTY, Pa. — Parents in the Pine-Richland School District are demanding answers from school leaders about what they’re calling a recurring problem: student suicide.

"It has made them who they're going to be. It's changed their perspective on a whole lot of things because they lost somebody who was so close to them,” parent Donna Wright said.%

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Teen suicide has touched many families in the Gibsonia and Richland Township areas, and Wright said it’s only getting worse.

"It's tragic when someone that young takes their life,” she said.

Earlier this month, a 14-year-old student at Pine-Richland Middle School took his own life. The student’s mother told Channel 11 News Thursday that police are investigating.

Parents said the student’s death is the most recent in a handful of suicides in the past few years in the school district.

Wright and more than 1,400 parents have signed a petition, calling on school leaders to explain what they’re doing to prevent the growing problem of teen suicide.

"This is alarming, heartbreaking and devastating to our community as a whole,” the petition read, in part.

According to the most recent data from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office, a total of 27 individuals, ages 19 and under, have taken their own lives from 2012 to 2015. Of those deaths, 19 were boys and eight were girls.

In a statement to Channel 11 News, a spokesperson for the Pine-Richland School District said several steps have been taken to improve awareness among students and provide resources to help.

“The relationship with every child begins in the classroom. We also have school counselors, psychologists, principals and other professionals available to support the learning process,” the statement read, in part. “We look forward to sharing some of the strategies currently in place at Pine-Richland and also engaging in conversation about other opportunities.”

Some believe the conversation needs to extend outside the classroom.

Rev. Tom Sparacino at St. Richard Parish in Richland Township said a community solution is needed now to end the epidemic.

"We're a big town, but we have a bigger issue. So why not bring the community together?” he said.

A community-wide meeting called “Suicide: Let’s Get the Conversation Started” is set to take place at St. Richard Parish’s social hall on May 9 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Other hotlines available for those dealing with bullying and/or suicide issues can reach out to the following organizations:

• National Institutes of Health
• National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Cox Media Group