Fellow Dragons,

The tragic incidents of the past few weeks have weighed heavily on the hearts and minds of
everyone in our community. As a district, we would like to thank everyone for the outpouring of
support for the families in crisis, our students, and our staff. All of us should be proud of how
our students have navigated the complexities of recent suicides in our community, as well as the
resiliency they have shown. Thank you to our outstanding district staff for working to connect
with our kids everyday and being part of a support network in our community.

Suicide is a very serious matter that affects our local community, as well as communities across
the country. In fact, suicide is now the 2nd leading cause of death in youth ages 10-24 in
Missouri, according to the Missouri Institute of Mental Health​. ​Suicide is complex, as it affects
every person differently and requires varying support based upon individual needs. The
following are additional facts about suicide from the American Foundation for Suicide
Prevention:
● More than 90% of people who died by suicide have an underlying mental disorder, such
as depression.
● Depression is the leading cause of suicide in teenagers.
● In teens, the mental disorders most closely linked to suicide risk are major depressive
disorder, bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, conduct disorder, substance
abuse disorder, and eating disorders.
● Suicide risk can be exacerbated by stressful life circumstances, such as history of abuse,
death, divorce, persistent serious family conflict, traumatic breakups, trouble with the
law, school failure, bullying, harassment, or victimization by peers.
● About 6% of teenagers will develop depression yearly. Sadly, more than 80% of these
kids will not have their illness properly diagnosed or treated which can also lead to
school absenteeism, failing grades, dropouts, crimes, and drug and alcohol abuse.
● Depression is among the most treatable of all mood disorders. More than 75% of people
with depression respond positively to treatment.

The best way to prevent suicide is through early detection, diagnosis, and treatment of depression
and other mental disorders, including addictions. Addressing suicide and mental health issues
requires support from everyone in our community. At De Soto #73, we have many ways that we
ensure our administrators and staff have the tools and training they need to be there when our
students need us.
● In July, Dr. Muniz and First Baptist Church collaborated with the district to provide
ASIST​ suicide intervention training to our school counselors and administrators.
Additionally, the district provided mandatory suicide awareness training to all district
staff members in August.
● Also in July, the district submitted a grant to the Jefferson Memorial Foundation for a
mental health counselor for our district to assist in addressing the needs of our students.
 Our current school counselors are not mental health professionals. The district is limited
in our capacity to be able to diagnose and treat individuals with a mental illness.
● In an effort to foster suicide awareness and prevention, the district will provide trauma
training to all district staff during the October 12 professional development day. On
December 7, 2018, all district staff will participate in suicide awareness training through
the safeTALK Program. We are collaborating with COMTREA to provide additional
educational resources for our students, staff, and our community.
● The secondary campus will be working with student organizations, such as TREND, and
their sponsors to facilitate ongoing supports, including a future assembly, for De Soto
junior high and high school students.

As a district, we want to express that we are here for anyone who needs us. Anyone who has
concerns about another individual or who is suffering himself/herself, please contact one of our
building offices for support or reach out to one of the following community resources:
● Life Crisis Services 314-647-4357 (24/7, any age)
● Counseling Solutions 636-933-9590
● Behavioral Health Response (BHR) 1-800-811-4760
● Hyland Behavioral Health 314-525-4400 or 1-800-525-2032
● Mercy Behavioral Health 314-251-6565 (ages 7-18 years)
● Mercy Hospital Jefferson 636-933-1230 (ages 18 years and older)
● St. Vincent De Paul 314-344-6700 (ages 3-17)
● Family Support for Suicide-CHADS 314-952-8274 (9:00a.m.-5:30p.m.)
● Kuto Crisis Hotline 1-888-644-5886 (24/7, 6th through H.S.)
● Crisis Text Line Text the word HOME to 741741
(24/7 support from a trained crisis counselor)

Over the past few weeks, many individuals have expressed grief over the recent suicides and
asked what they can do to assist our students. The number one thing we can do is ​listen​. We can
also offer some practical coping strategies and tips for responding sensitively and safely, also
provided by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention:
● It can be helpful for students to identify their emotion beyond simply sad, angry, or
happy. Are they concerned about something specifically? Are they feeling unsafe? There
are a wide variety of emotions at play here.
● Remind them that they might also experience physical symptoms, such as shortness of
breath, butterflies in their stomachs, insomnia, fatigue, and irritability as a result of their
emotions.
● Encourage them to think about specific things they can do when intense emotions, such
as worry or sadness, begin to well up, including:
○ simple relaxation and distraction skills, such as taking three deep slow breaths,
counting to 10, or picturing themselves in a favorite calm and relaxing place.
 ○ engaging in favorite activities or hobbies, such as music, talking with a friend,
reading, or going to a movie.
○ exercising.
○ thinking about how they've coped with difficulties in the past and reminding
themselves that they can use those same coping skills now.
○ writing a list of people they can turn to for support.
○ writing a list of things they are looking forward to.
○ focusing on individual goals, such as spending time with friends or participating
in an upcoming meet/competition.
● Often youth will express guilt about having fun or thinking about other things. It’s
important to remind them that they deserve to be happy and to be young people.
● The following resources may be of value for as well:
○ https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/suicide-talking-teens.pdf
○ https://www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/resource-program/Teens.pdf
○ http://www.sprc.org/sites/default/files/resource-program/Families.pdf

A school’s primary function for the last one hundred years was educating students through
reading, writing, and arithmetic. As a district, our primary function is still educating students;
however, societal shifts have caused us to focus on safety and security matters beyond the three
basic R’s of yesteryear. Safety is more than just securing entry ways and practicing drills.
Safety also involves the social and emotional well-being of each of our students. As a district,
we do not have all of the resources needed to prevent suicide through early detection, diagnosis,
and treatment of depression and other mental disorders. As a community, we do.

Thank you for your continued commitment to the success and well-being of our students in our
community. Please feel free to call or stop by as my door is always open. You can always reach
me via email at ​isaacson.josh@desoto.k12.mo.us​, at Central Office (636) 586-1000, or on my
cell (573) 590-1878. The safety of all continues to be our top priority, and we appreciate your
continued support and partnership.

Respectfully,

JIsaacson

Joshua J. Isaacson, Ed.D.