SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Three Utah school districts will get training about how to deal with mental health issues under a $1.8 million grant aimed at addressing a troubling rise of teen suicides in the state.
The Salt Lake Tribune reports that the Utah Board of Education unanimously approved the grant funds Thursday after hearing from a mother who spoke about her son’s recent suicide. Catherine Voutaz said she’s at a loss about why her son took his own life. She says he dreamed of becoming an oncologist.
The five-year test program will provide funds to form partnerships between schools and mental health agencies. Interested school districts will apply to become one of the three.
The average yearly total of youth suicides in Utah over the last five years has more than doubled from the previous decade.
