LAS VEGAS (AP) - School and elected officials in Nevada acknowledged the mental and emotional strain the coronavirus pandemic has had on children, releasing a suicide-prevention public service announcement on Wednesday that reminds kids they are not alone.
In separate videos produced in English and Spanish, Clark County School District administrators and bipartisan lawmakers take turns telling “the amazing students of Nevada” to reach out to a teacher, school counselor or principal if they feel concerned about their safety or someone else.
The recordings include the governor, every Nevada congressional representative, state legislators and a Las Vegas City Council member.
In a news release, district Superintendent Jesus Jara said people also can reach a 24-hour hotline by phone, at 1-833-216-SAFE, using the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s SafeVoice app, or online at SafeVoiceNV.org.
School officials and parents in the Las Vegas-based district have raised concerns about student emotional stress amid an increase in child suicides since schools closed last March.
Clark County school official have tallied 21 student suicides since March 2020, a district spokesman said Wednesday. That’s more than double the nine cases the district had the previous year.
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