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VERONA SUPERINTENDENT ISSUES WARNING ON '13 REASONS WHY'

Verona-Cedar Grove Times - 5/4/2017

Verona's schools superintendent joined a growing number of education officials raising concerns about the Netflix series "13 Reasons Why."

Superintendent of Schools Rui Dionisio issued a letter to parents recommending that children do not watch the series that depicts the fictional suicide of a teenager.

"My concern as both an educator and a parent is the glorification around suicide," Dionisio said.

The series is executive-produced by former Disney star Selena Gomez and is based on a 2007 fictional book by Jay Asher. The main character, Hannah, takes her life and leaves behind cassette tapes, containing messages for those she considers to have pushed her to suicide. The Verona superintendent said he started watching it and found it incredibly powerful, but difficult to watch.

"It's difficult to watch for an adult. I can't imagine for an adolescent," he said.

Dionisio cited a statistic from the Centers for Disease Control that suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 24.

District mental health professionals are available to discuss the issue of suicide with parents and their children in Verona, the superintendent said. The staff can also provide additional recommendations for counseling support outside of school, and parents can contact their child's school counseling department or principal if they need help, he said.

Board of Education member Glenn Elliott said many high school students watch the show, and said it can be an important topic to discuss.

"If anything, it's a good conversation point to have," Elliott said.

The National Association of School Psychologists, in guidance that it released to educators and families in how to talk about the topic, recommends that young people with suicidal thoughts shouldn't watch "13 Reasons Why," while other teens shouldn't watch it in a vacuum.

Dionisio's letter to parents recommended the following resources for those in need of help:

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK

NJ Hopeline: 1-855-NJ-HOPELINE (654-6735)

2nd Floor Youth Helpline: 888-222-2228 (call or text)

Email: jongsma@northjersey.com