Following the death of a student, Palo Alto High School administrators are offering a variety of resources and support to students and staff.
“We have resources for you, we have therapists that can talk and provide services,” Wellness Coordinator Andie Barker said Tuesday after a grief support discussion for students in the school library. “Or you can just come and do an activity or whatever you do to help regulate and calm yourself. We just want to be here for you.”
According to a Schoology post, individual drop-in counseling at the Wellness Center is available to students daily. Additionally, one-on-one coaching, group support and mental health resources from the Palo Alto Unified School District are always available on Classlink or at this link.
Beyond an initial message Wednesday, school administrators have not released any further information about the incident. According to the message read to students in class last week, to respect the family’s wishes, school officials do not anticipate sharing the students’ name.
Grief support group, Kara, held a discussion for anyone needing to talk on Friday afternoon, with another session planned for Tuesday at lunch.
If you or a friend are in need of immediate support, use resources listed below:
Call 911 or 988 Lifeline
Crisis Text Line: Text ‘home’ to 741741
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: Call or Text 988
Trevor Lifeline LGBTQQ+ Crisis Support: 1-866-488-7386
Bill Wilson Youth Hotline (24-hour Suicide & Crisis Line): 408-850-6125
Paly parents have also been invited to a series of webinars offered by the Palo Alto Unified School District mental health staff and grief support organizations about how to support students at this time.
Selina Sanchez Cristobal, the community outreach crisis response director at the grief support group Kara, led the discussion for students. According to Cristobal, finding support from trusted people is really important.
“If you do feel like you need help, it’s important to be able to speak about it whether it’s to a friend, a trusted adult, or somebody you feel comfortable speaking out to,” Cristobal said.
Cristobal said students and staff should take advantage of the resources we have available.
“Especially with grief related to death, it really forces you to slow down and be mindful,” Cristobal said. “It forces you to see what you need. If there is something you need, whether it’s help from anybody else, it’s important to use the resources that are around. Because there was such a big incident, they [Wellness Center] are talking about more resources to be available on campus and it’s important to utilize those resources.”
Barker said:
“It’s all about having a space where you can process emotions and you can access the resources that you need…You can talk to someone if that’s helpful. We just want you to gauge what brings you the most peace and then we will provide whatever resources we can. This is a safe space.”
