NEW YORK (WCBS 880) — New York City will take on a mounting task to address a recent troubling increase in suicides among public school students, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday.
On Wednesday, it was revealed that five New York City public school student had died by suicide since the start of the school year.
The mayor, at the time, said he was very concerned about the news, saying it was “very, very painful.”
He notes that the isolation, trauma, pain and confusion being experienced by a number of children amid the coronavirus pandemic is overwhelming and the city will be taking action against the mental health crisis soon.
“We're gonna do mental health screenings for all the kids in New York City public schools when they come back in September,” the mayor said in a WNYC broadcast.
De Blasio notes that all 1.1 million school students will undergo evaluations, saying children’s mental health and the effects of the pandemic need to be taken much more seriously.
“A lot of kids have been through nothing short of trauma. Some will need more support, some of them may need a lot of support,” the mayor said. “We will need to be having opportunity go into therapy it that is right for them.”
De Blasio stressed that kids have “been put through so much,” but have not had a place to turn for help because “the vast majority have not been in school with loving, caring professionals who could notice the problems and address them.”
The mayor added that any child who needs help will get the services they require at no cost to their families.
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