California SRO organizes Youth Mental Health Summit to combat suicide

Mental health and suicide prevention have become top priorities for California R-1 School District student resource officer Scott Harkins.Last week, Harkins hosted the Moniteau County Healthy Lifestyles' first Youth Mental Health Summit. He invited teachers, parents, law enforcement member, community leaders, faith-based leaders and mental health professionals to discuss the issue of suicide in Moniteau County and the challenges youths are facing today.This event comes after two California R-1 students committed suicide earlier this year, one in July and one in October. Another California student also committed suicide in January of 2023."Just losing one kid is too many. But I've kind of noticed the trend that over the last several years we've lost a few," Harkins said. "It's not necessarily a school issue to fix. It's not necessarily a parent issue to fix. But how can we come together as a community and help the school, help parents, help the community?

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