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Carol A. Pallas Ext. 4001 Business Office Joseph Lenz Business Administrator Ext. 4002 Special Education Office Shari Lontrato Director of Pupil Personnel Services Ext. 4018 High School 1 Sabre Drive Schenectady, NY 12306 (518) 355-6110 FAX: (518) 355-8720 Middle School 2 Sabre Drive Schenectady, NY 12306 (518) 355-6255 FAX: (518) 355-5329 Jefferson Elementary School 100 Princetown Road Schenectady, NY 12306 (518) 355-1342 FAX: (518) 357-0293 Transportation Office 401 Duanesburg Road Schenectady, NY 12306 (518) 355-9200 Ext. 4201 FAX: (518) 355-0972
October 28, 2013 Dear Parents/Community Members: I wanted to take this opportunity to reach out to you as we continue to recover from the student suicide that occurred last week. Undoubtedly, this has been an extraordinarily difficult time for our entire school community, and there are still strong emotions surrounding this loss. In addition, news reports last week suggesting that bullying may have contributed to the suicide have also been unsettling. In response to the rumors, the Rotterdam Police Department immediately launched an investigation and has, thus far, found no evidence directly linking the suicide to bullying, and no such accusations were brought to the districts attention. Nevertheless, bullying is an issue that permeates schools throughout the country, and I am not nave to believe that Schalmont is immune. Suicide, mental health concerns and bullying are societal issues, and your child may have been affected by this recent tragedy, even if he or she did not know the student well. In particular it is important to recognize and address a phenomenon known as suicide contagion, in which one persons suicide may lead to other suicides or suicide attempts. We want to do everything in our power to prevent this from happening within our school community. To that end, were trying to strike the appropriate balance of remembering this student and being sensitive to those students who may also be at risk. In the coming days, the district, in conjunction with teen suicide experts, mental health professionals and other outside agencies, will work on developing a plan for responding to the social and emotional needs of our students, staff and community. While we do not have any official bullying reports linking to the students suicide, we have been contacted by concerned parents who want reassurance that appropriate bullying prevention efforts are in place in our schools and that any incidents are taken seriously. We are committed to protecting all of our students, and a variety of bullying prevention efforts and programs have been put in place over the years. However, the recent tragedy has us all thinking about whether were doing enough to protect our children. Facing these issues is an endeavor that calls for full community involvement. Our schools should always be a place of learning, growth and encouragement for all students. We need to come together as a community to insist that bullying stop.
As we work with experts on our next steps, I hope you will continue to stay informed and consider joining us as we tackle this community-wide effort. In the meantime, if you feel your child needs to speak to a guidance counselor, social worker or other adult, please call your childs school or direct them to stop into their school building main office. In addition there are a number of community resources available, which may be found via the district website. Sincerely,