Beavers, McCullough, Raymond, Straus 1

Mallorie Beavers

Aubrey McCullough

Nicholas Raymond

Holly Straus

Mr. Gross

English 12 B (3)

12 May 2017

The Responsibility of Schools in Student Suicides

There is perhaps no greater tragedy than when a teenager decides to take their own life,

and unfortunately, teen suicide rates are on the rise. Teen students have a full plate, dealing with

things such as trying to fit in at school, the changing of hormone levels, sometimes a harmful

homelife, and trying to figure out who they want to be. Additionally, the expectations of high

school students academically is growing exponentially, and with that, the stress levels of

students. Along with all of these things they face, they also encounter bullying and sometimes

even depression. It is estimated that about one third of students are bullied at school. Bullying

can be overwhelming for a student because it constantly knocks them down, making it hard to

get back up. Sometimes life has worn them down so much they are unable to get back up, and

they make the final decision of committing suicide, because they think that is the only way out of

all the many stressors in their lives. There are many factors that can lead a person to commit

suicide, which makes it difficult to pinpoint a single factor one to place the blame on. However,

schools must be held at least partially responsible for student suicides. This is important because

if bullying is a factor there is a law that states they must take action, mental health is essential for
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learning and schools need to be aware of what is happening to the students, and parents send

their children to school so they trust the school to be a safe place for them. Schools can challenge

this claim by claiming they are only responsible for the academics, and they cannot control what

happens outside of the classroom, and some public schools have limited funding, therefore

financial limitations hinder their ability to take action. However, mental health is essential to

learning so schools must be aware of it.

Bullying is a problem in most schools. It can be mild to severe depending on the

situation, but either way it harms the student in some way. The pain may get so bad that it drive

the student to take their own life away. According to The Jason Foundation Each day in our

nation, there are an average of 5,240 attempts by young people grade 7-12 ("Youth Suicide

Statistics."). This is a staggering number, suicide for ages 10-24 happens to be the second

leading cause of death. Bullying could possible be the cause for the deaths of these young

people. If schools are aware of bullying occurring they legally must take action. There is a law

that can hold the school accountable if they do not. Dewey G. Cornell and Susan P. Limber say,

By 2015, every state had passed a law that directs school districts or individual schools to

develop policies to address bullying. Some of the most common provisions include investigation

and reporting of bullying, disciplinary actions for students involved in bullying, staff training and

prevention efforts (Cornell). If the family that lost their loved one decides to take it to court and

they find that the school was aware of what was happening they can be held responsible. Often

times the school will pay the family for the damages instead of going further in court, but in

some cases the family wants justice for their child and continues with the trial. The details of the

case sometimes may be difficult to prove, but Cornell and Limber continue to say under Title IX
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if these circumstances apply to the situation the school is liable for the student death The

student must be victimized because of membership in a protected category. The harassment at

school must be severe. Ordinary teasing, name-calling and rough play among students are not

sufficient unless the behavior is so severe, pervasive and offensive that it denies its victims equal

access to education. School authorities must be aware of the harassment, and are not liable for

harassment that they did not know about. Schools are liable only if they are "deliberately

indifferent" to the harassment. Schools are not required to prevent or stop harassment, but only to

make reasonable efforts to intervene when they become aware of it (Cornell). The investigation

could take many years to prove whether the school is accountable or not. However, bullying is a

serious issue that occurs in most schools and should be dealt with properly and promptly because

it could save students lives.

It is difficult for students to keep up with learning when they are mentally unstable, so

schools need to be aware of how their students mental health is. Having good mental health is

essential for students learning. When a student becomes depressed, or potentially suicidal, it is

likely their grades will drop. This could be one of the many warning signs to schools that a

student may not be functioning typically. The University of Illinois Chicago says While schools

are primarily concerned with education, mental health is essential to learning as well as to social

and emotional development. Because of this important interplay between emotional health and

school success, schools must be partners in the mental health care of our children ("Connecting

Social and Emotional Learning with Mental Health."). Every student's health is important for

them to be successful. The school needs to be aware of each student's health in order for them to

make progress. Cathy Cafro author of Student Suicides and School System Liability, states
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Though not legally obligated to guarantee the safety of their students, school officials are

required to provide a degree of protection and attention to all students (Cafaro). Parents send

students to school to learn and get an education, but without maintaining a stable mental health

they cannot achieve this. This is why is it essential that the school is be aware of every student.

Mentally unstable students can show warning signs and by taking the time to pay attention to this

the school could save a student's life.

Most school days are six hours five days a week. Parents send their children to school

with a trust that they will provide a safe and happy environment. If a student is constantly being

bullied they are not safe nor happy. When a student feels safe and comfortable they are more

likely to learn more effectively. Authors William Parrett and Kathleen Budge says A healthy,

safe, and supportive learning environment enables students, adults, and even the school as a

system to learn in powerful ways (Parrett). A safe environment for students allows them to feel

protected by the school and will lead them to being happier. Students that experience an unhappy

and unsafe environment go through misery each day which can dwell on them, and be draining

in their mental health. Schools need to be aware of creating a healthy environment to ensure their

students safety and happiness. According to Anthony Weston, author of A 21st Century Ethical

Toolbox, a philosopher and teacher, states A great deal of what we do is obviously not for its

own sake but for the sake of something else (Weston 143). Schools tend to overlook the

environment surrounding the students, but a more positive one would benefit them. Weston

continues to add Include in the great calculation the happiness of others as well as one's self,

and we find ourselves looking to achieve the greatest balance of happiness over suffering in

society as a whole (Weston 143). Schools need to balance the happiness of all students to
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prevent suffering and ensure the parents that their child is safe and happy when they are at

school. If Weston were to analyze the relation between student suicides and school he would

likely agree with Cornell and Limber. He considers happiness to be a value of great importance

and would likely hope schools go to great lengths in order to ensure student happiness, just as

Cornell and Limber do.

Some schools believe that they are only responsible for the academics, and are not

responsible for anything other than that. This is a logical argument, as schools contain many

more students than staff. Although it would be ideal if schools could be held accountable for the

well-being of every student, unfortunately in some cases it is just not realistic. Schools must

focus a majority of their attention on academics, because if students fall behind on standardized

testing they will gain the attention of the federal government. However, going to school is much

more than earning grades for assignments. Alison DeNisco with the District Administration

Magazine says Mariam Azin, an educational research psychologist and CEO and President of

Mazin Education, a company that works with schools to assess, identify, and serve at-risk

students. Sometimes administrators feel that they are only responsible for academics, Azin

says. But theres a lot of research that shows that kids cant learn if they are not in a safe

environment. You cant separate the two. (DeNisco). If schools do not provide them with a

safe environment and only focus on the academics, the students will not learn and will struggle

being successful in the future. Schools that only look at the test score or the grade book will look

over all of the signs students show when they are suicidal. This is wrong however, because if a

student's mental health is failing it is more than probable that their education is failing as well.

So if a school fails to notice a student is suicidal, they likely are not only failing them in life, but
 Beavers, McCullough, Raymond, Straus 6

also failing to educate the student, which these schools are foolishly arguing is their primary

priority.

When a student takes their life away, many things are going on and some of those things

are outside of school. Schools can see the situation as it did not occur at school, therefore they

should not be held accountable. Cafro states, Suicide is often still viewed as an independent,

intervening act which the original tortfeasor could not have reasonably [been] expected to

foresee (Cafaro). The school is responsible for what occurs during school hours, after students

leave they cannot control what they do. If bullying does drive a student to commit suicide it does

not necessarily have to happen at school either. With the increase of technology, it also develops

of new form of bullying which is cyberbullying. Cyberbullying is bullying that occurs online,

which students can use any time of the day. Since it can occur at any time it makes it that much

harder for the victim to escape from it. According to Jeremy Riel, With anonymity on the web

and a greater opportunity to expand learning to outside of the classroom, both internal and

external bullying can negatively influence learning opportunities, as well as hurt students in more

ways than just their scholastic achievement (Riel). If Cornell and Limber were to factor in

cyberbullying when considering a student suicide they would likely still allot some

accountability to schools. Oftentimes when cyber bullying has detrimental effects on students,

these detrimental effects can be seen at school. Although cyberbullying does not always occur in

the classroom it still affects what happens in the classroom because it interferes with students

learning. Preventing this from occurring can be difficult because not every school has sufficient

funding to hire enough educated and caring professionals that would take action in these

instances.
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Schools struggle to find enough money to provide students with bullying prevention

programs because of the budget cuts they go under and the lack of funding. It becomes harder

and harder each year for schools find money for programs like these because the amount of

money keeps getting lower and lower, and the money must be spent primarily on the education

of the students. Authors Michael Leachman, Nick Albares, Kathleen Masterson, and Marlana

Wallace say Because schools rely so heavily on state aid, cuts to state funding (especially

formula funding) generally force local school districts to scale back educational services, raise

more revenue to cover the gap, or both (Leachman). These authors might disagree with Cornell,

Limber, and Weston because they may believe that because of the lack of money, suicide

prevention cannot be the responsibility of schools. The schools have to focus on catering to the

student education instead of spending money on prevention programs because the money they

have to raise to cover the gap is too big. The lack of school funding causes administrators to

ignore the bullying issues the may have because it is not their main focus. However, the lack of

attention could cost a student their life.

When a child takes their life away it is devastating for their loved ones as well as the

community. It makes people wonder why they would do that to themselves, and wonder is to

blame for the death. It is difficult to determine unless the victim left behind a note, or some other

form of evidence. If the individual is still in middle or high school, the school is partially

responsible for the student death. If it was found that bullying was the reason they committed

suicide then the school is responsible because if they knew about the bullying there is a law they

have to take action, additionally they should be aware of the mental health of their students, and

parents send their students to school with the trust that it is a safe and happy environment. Others
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may think the schools are not because they are not responsible for what happens outside of

school, they are only responsible for academics, and they did not have enough funding to take

action. This is wrong however, because mental health is directly related to academic

performance, so if schools are failing to notice the mental health of students then they are failing

to educate them as well. Whether one believes schools should be held responsible for student

suicides or not, it is absolutely imperative that schools are attentive to student mental health in

order to slow the rising rate of teen suicides.

Works Cited

Cafaro, Cindy Singer. "Student Suicides and School System Liability." School Law Bulletin

31.2/3

(2000): 17-28.

"Connecting Social and Emotional Learning with Mental Health." (n.d.): n. pag. Promote

Prevent.

University of Illinois at Chicago, Jan. 2008. Web. 26 Apr. 2017.

Cornell, Dewey G., and Susan P. Limber. "Do U.S. Laws Go Far Enough to Prevent Bullying at

School?" Monitor on Psychology. American Psychological Association, Feb. 2016. Web.

28

Apr. 2017.

DeNisco, Alison. "Are Schools Doing Enough to Stop Bullying?" District Administration

Magazine.
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District Administration, Oct. 2013. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

Leachman, Michael, Nick Albares, Kathleen Masterson, and Marlana Wallace. "Most States

Have Cut

School Funding, and Some Continue Cutting." Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Center

on Budget and Policy Priorities, 25 Jan. 2016. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

Parrett, William H., and Kathleen M. Budge. "Chapter 8. Fostering a Healthy, Safe, and

Supportive

Learning Environment: How HP/HP Schools Do It." Fostering a Healthy, Safe, and

Supportive Learning Environment: How HP/HP Schools Do It. ASCD, n.d. Web. 28 Apr.

2017.

Riel, Jeremy. "Cyberbullying As a Learning Issue." Cyberbullying in the Classroom: Teachers

Strategies. University of Illinois at Chicago, 24 June 2016. Web. 28 Apr. 2017.

Weston, Anthony. 6. The Ethics of Happiness A 21st Century Ethical Toolbox, Third ed.,

Oxford University Press, New York, 2013, pp. 143

"Youth Suicide Statistics." Parent Resource Program. The Jason Foundation, n.d. Web. 28 Apr.

2017.