I recently heard from an Iowa mother who lost her son to suicide. As a parent myself, her experience was heartbreaking to hear. Any life lost to suicide is one too many, especially when it involves a child.
In 2021 alone, 1,250 high school students in Iowa attempted to take their own lives due to feeling hopeless. We can and must do more to prevent suicide!
That’s why I just introduced the Prevent Youth Suicide Act to train educators on the risk factors that lead to suicidal thoughts ⬇️
Teachers and staff play a critical role in the development and lives of students. By ensuring they can identify signs of distress and risk factors that lead young people to attempt suicide, we can intercept these students and get them the help they need before they make a decision that can’t be reversed.
Bottom line: As a father of six kids, I never want them, their friends, classmates, or any person to feel so hopeless that they ultimately decide to take their own lives. We have work to do together to thwart this growing crisis, and I am determined to be a part of the solution.