Parents to meet in light of Farragut High deaths
Monday, May 1, was “a bad day” at Farragut High School, said Anna Marie Anthony as she drove to pick up her 10th-grade son early. He was upset at the news that a third FHS student had taken his own life since the semester began in January.
News of a third FHS student who had taken his own life this semester began to rock the Farragut community Saturday, April 29. By Sunday evening, both FHS and Farragut Middle School had postponed some of their end-of-the-year testing. FHS postponed Senior Recognition Night, originally planned for Monday, May 1. “The Rock” at the west end of the campus had been painted with the words “Forever in our hearts.”
Anthony, also the mother of an eighth-grader, said she received e-mails from principals at the middle and high schools Sunday evening.
“He [FHS principal Ryan Siebe] was sending his condolences about losing another student this weekend and advised us to talk to our children in our own way,” Anthony said about the e-mail. “It said he’ll have counselors available all week to help through this time. He said there will be a parent meeting [this] Thursday night at 6 [p.m. at FHS]. The Suicide Prevention Network will be there to share expert advice. It [the e-mail] discussed the changes to the end-of-course tests.”
“We are deeply saddened by the recent tragedies at our school,” Siebe said in an e-mail Tuesday, “and our support and condolences go out to the families. The welfare of our students is a concern of every member of our staff, and any loss is heartbreaking to the entire community. We have been working closely with local professionals with the Tennessee Suicide Prevention Network and the East Tennessee Mental Health Association to provide us with evidence-based best practices that we are following. Additionally, we have onsite counseling services available to our students and staff and will continue as long as necessary. We will also be hosting an informational meeting for families regarding suicide prevention. Experts will be on hand to answer questions.
“It’s designed to be a parent meeting,” Siebe said by phone Tuesday, adding he would share information with the press after the meeting.
Anthony said her older son’s friend committed suicide in January.
“He’s had a hard time since then,” she said May 1. “The children are very upset that the children [who have died] aren’t being memorialized in the garden. If they’re struggling with mental illness or substance abuse, that’s a problem. They need to be recognized. The memorial thing is a big, big deal to the kids. It’s an upsetting day at Farragut.”
On Thursday, April 20, FHS junior Catherine Miller started a petition at change.org asking that bricks with the names of the first two suicide victims be added to the Memorial Garden at the school. By May 2, her petition had 2,033 online supporters.
“We started asking the question we should have asked more all along,” she stated. "Why aren't we talking about this?"
Later the same day, Miller updated her petition saying “Mr. Siebe [our principal] is so kind and truly does care about all of his students, regardless of what programs in the school they’re involved in.”
She also stated, “The head of Knox County trauma department had come to the school to meet with me. Bricks for the garden have been ordered. The county showed me the trauma policy, and it is stated that after a death, especially suicide, the school must wait three months before holding a public and formal event.”
But after school on May 1, Anthony said that message isn’t getting to the students.
“My son talked to a counselor today,” she said. “He was told that the school didn’t want to glorify suicide and didn’t want to give attention to suicide by having a memorial … something to that effect. A clear answer on that would be helpful. They need their memorial stones. If they feel that is not an option, then that needs to be amended. Whatever their policy is, it needs to be made public and something corrected.”
“It’s our policy not to talk about students’ personal lives, whether it’s an illness or anything,” said Carly Harrington, Knox County Schools spokesperson.
“I wish God could be brought back into school,” said Melanie Dean, mother of middle and primary school students. “I wish we could say the Pledge [of Alligence]. I wish schools would get back to some of the basics as well, but that's obviously not happening, which is so terribly sad and unfortunate for our youth.”
Although the Netflix TV series “13 Reasons Why” has been discussed on social media, both Anthony and Dean disagree that the show is to blame for suicides.
“I have babysitters who go to the high school,” said Dean, a 2004 FHS graduate. “We [neighbors] have all been discussing this issue. I do not think ‘13 Reasons Why’ is to blame. I think that show could be a powerful tool in showing the kids how they treat one another has a real impact on the person. Suicide has been around long before that show and will continue to be unless people are willing to get uncomfortable and not only discuss the topic of suicide, but get real with it and let's try to help it head on ... address it head on with the kids.
“I want to help with my former classmates in some type of outreach program,” she added, “where if the kids need to talk and want to hear real life issues and how we overcame them and fought through those tough teen years, and find out how they want the community’s help, they can. Instead of us just trying to guess at what they need when ‘we don't get it’ as they all say. That's my goal.”
“I have seen [the show],” Anthony said. “I watched it with my younger child who just turned 14. Everybody’s talking about it. I thought it would be in my best interest to see why the kids are watching it. I feel like it’s gotten a lot of criticism. I heard it glorifies suicide and it’s too graphic. I didn’t feel that way at all. I feel like it’s a fairly accurate depiction of what goes on at school — the bullying, the constant anxiety and stress over testing, sexual assaults that are not being reported, possible substance abuse or experimentation, family drama, conflict.
Concerned with “bullying that goes on at Farragut,” Anthony said, “… There needs to be more being done for these kids who are experiencing depression, suicidal thoughts and the bullying. ... I have gotten some support from the guidance office.
“ ... I don’t feel like the kids who are doing the bullying need to be expelled. They need psychological help. ... Get these kids help.”
