To the editor:
I read Madeline Hardy’s recent piece entitled, “Prevention Needs Assessment survey reveals Monument Mountain and Mount Everett High School student attitudes about drugs and alcohol” with great interest, and I wholeheartedly agree that local attitudes toward substance use have fostered a sense of normalcy among folks of all ages, including our youth.
That said, what really caught my attention was a presented-as-innocuous finding in the sixth paragraph that delivered a staggering statistic, one that demands our collective attention:
When asked the question ‘During the past 12 months, did you ever seriously consider attempting suicide?’ The percentage of Black students who answered ‘yes’ was greater than the percentage of students in all of South County that answered yes.
This stark finding got me thinking about what it really means to belong, for all members of our community. That there are any young people in our midst who feel there might be no other option than ending their life, especially among those who identify as Black and brown, means we are not doing our best to rally around them and communicate, “We’ve got your back. No matter what.”
Are we doing enough as a community to foster this sense of belonging for all? I’m not convinced.
Hannah Van Sickle
Sandisfield
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