Reeling from middle schooler suicides, Brainerd school district aims to prevent more deaths
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Chip Rankin was eight days into his new job as Brainerd school superintendent when a 13-year-old student at Forestview Middle School died by suicide.
Just three weeks earlier, an 11-year-old student at the same school had also taken her own life.
Rankin and other school officials faced a grieving community asking: How did this happen, and what can be done to keep it from happening again?
“It’s hard because raw emotions come, and people grieve,” Rankin said. “But people want to know, why, why? Because it's hard. It just makes no sense whatsoever.”
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The parents of the Brainerd students who died, Ava Starr and Alexis Thornton, say they were bullied by classmates. Rankin said the district has no record of any formal complaints, but that doesn’t mean that it didn’t happen.
The district has hired an independent attorney to review the schools' bullying policies and how complaints are handled.
And by the start of the school year, the district will have an online system to anonymously report bullying, Rankin said. A new state law gives districts two years to adopt an anonymous threat reporting system, but Brainerd isn't waiting.
“I want to make sure we improve, because there are 1,500 kids coming back to (Forestview) in about three and a half weeks,” he said. “And I want to make sure if there's anything we could do slightly better, we're going to do it.”
But the rise in youth suicide extends beyond Brainerd, and some say it needs a broader response. Rankin said the Brainerd district has limited resources to address challenges beyond the school walls.
“This isn't a Brainerd issue,” he said. “This unfortunately is a teen issue. The research is really clear.”
Last year, Minnesota's suicide rate for children ages 10-14 was more than twice as high as the previous five years, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. The rate is even higher in rural communities like Brainerd, which often lack mental health services.
Suicide is growing fastest among children ages six to 12, said Tracie Rutherford Self, an associate professor at Minnesota State University in Mankato and associate director of the Center for Rural Behavioral Health.
“Is it horrifying to think of? Yes. Do kids know how to do it? Yes. There's enough online. There's enough access. There's enough pain,” Self said. “I think that's the key point is we don't realize how much pain some of these younger kids are in.”
An increase in traumatic childhood experiences – such as abuse, neglect or family dysfunction – could be a contributing factor. Bullying can also play a role, Self said.
Adults need to have honest conversation with younger kids about mental health and suicide, she said. Despite common fears, research shows those conversations don't put the idea of suicide in kids' heads.
“The moment we start having open, honest conversations, people suddenly feel free to talk about it,” Self said. “Before, they're ashamed, they're embarrassed, they don't want to have those conversations because they're afraid of freaking people out or burdening others.”
Technology can aggravate problems
Smartphones and social media mean problems that once ended at school can now follow kids home, Rankin said. He recently learned about a seventh grader at Forestview who received more than 400 bot messages in five minutes telling him to kill himself.
“What if you're in the wrong place that day – just mentally feeling down, not feeling good about yourself?” Rankin asked. “These are adolescents. Their range of emotions can really vary.”
The school district is hiring a social worker dedicated to Forestview to help connect families to resources. And Rankin said cell phones will be off limits during the school day for students in kindergarten through eighth grade.
On his desk is a copy of Jonathan Haidt's book, “The Anxious Generation.” Haidt argues that the transition from flip phones to smartphones with front-facing cameras and social media has triggered a mental health crisis, especially among teenage girls.
As a principal, Rankin supported giving every student a device to take home. Now, as a parent, he questions how much screen time and online access are healthy.
“I think parents really have to arm themselves with the research to see what could we do better, because we're going to have to,” he said. “This is a partnership.”
Limited resources
The Brainerd school district has limited funding and staffing to tackle mental health, Rankin said.
The district has just one counselor for every 1,000 students. That’s well below Minnesota’s average student-to-counselor ratio of 558 to 1, which is one of the worst in the nation, according to the American School Counselor Association.
The Brainerd district also contracts with a mental health clinic for services, but community resources are also stretched thin.
“It's kind of like healthcare if all you do is rely on an emergency room when you're in a crisis, and you don't go to the clinic,” Rankin said. “I feel like right now we're funded and staffed for emergency situations.”
The shortage of school counselors is a statewide problem, says Marcus Schmit, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness.
“We need to continue to reach kids where they're at with mental health education,” Schmit said. “And we know that schools are one of the most effective places to get connected to students.”
Parents, teachers and coaches also need training to recognize when a child is struggling, and know how to start a conversation, Schmit said.
“Kids understand it. They're open about it. They talk about it,” he said. “We have to do more to equip the adults around them to provide them with that support.”
Enlisting the community
In Brainerd, Rankin said it will take an all-hands-on-deck approach to prevent more deaths.
He's launching a program to bring 500 community volunteers into schools – greeting students, being present in the hallways or helping with homework.
Sometimes, one caring adult can make a difference and keep a struggling student from losing hope, Rankin said.
“I think during COVID we we pulled up the drawbridge and closed our castle and said, ‘Everybody stay out. We're going to social distance,’” he said. “Then we never put it back down.”
If you or someone you know is in crisis or needs immediate mental health support, call or text the Minnesota Lifeline at 988.
