A Community In Crisis: Darien Board Of Education Looks To Address Mental Health

DARIEN, CT — As the Darien community continues to grieve the sudden death of a third Darien High School student over the past two months, the district's board of education is trying to come up with solutions on how to address mental health both in the short term and into the future.

On May 21, Hayden Thorsen, a 16-year-old sophomore at DHS died unexpectedly. On March 31, 17-year-old Matthew McEvoy also died suddenly. School officials said both boys died by suicide.

On April 12, 16-year-old Henry Farmer died of medical complications.

The Darien Board of Education held their regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday and discussed how to move forward.

"Our community has been shaken by these tragedies to the core, and in speaking to professionals, friends and medical professionals, we must realize we are a community in crisis," said Board of Education Chair David Dineen. "We have an immediate need for our students, family and staff. We will build a plan around that and for the end of the school year that's fast approaching.

"We will look at what our needs are for students and the community over the summer, and define a plan for the new school year," Dineen added. "The beginning of the school year has to look different than what it has traditionally looked like before."

Meetings have been held with the first selectman, town health department, emergency services, religious leaders, business and community leaders and also community organizations, Dineen noted.

Additionally, members from the Connecticut Department of Children and Families, Department of Education and Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services have met with Darien officials this week to offer guidance on next steps.

Dineen said that being number one in the state in academics or sports, or being recognized as leaders in music and theater, "all means nothing if the anxiety, stress, pressure and culture to constantly compete and win leads to a breakdown in the mental and phsical health of our students and leads to suicides.

"That's a tough word to hear," Dineen added. "That's a tough word to understand."

Some students who spoke during the meeting said they felt the district's response to the latest tragedy was lackluster when school resumed on Monday, and that the proper support systems aren't in place to help students going forward.

Olivia Punishill, a student representative to the board of education, told the board she heard from several students who "feared the were going to have to put their emotions on the backburner to prepare themselves for exams."

Punishill said the priority and pressure of performing well academically has now led to students not prioritizing their own mental health. She also said teachers and coaches were unprepared on how to address the situation on Monday, and there wasn't a blanket approach.

"Students felt like they were being bounced around from experience to experience with no consistency, and that is part of the reason they didn't feel comforted throughout the day," Punishill said. "Most students aren't watching these meetings. Most students don't see the process behind the scenes, and all the considerations that go into how they are being counseled. They only see the product, and what they know right now is that the product is not enough and it's not comforting them."

Miller Ward, a 10th grader, said that each student death has had a "compounding effect" on her mental health.

"We need more resources and outlets, ones that are the fabric of our culture, not add-ons," she said. "Matthew and Hayden deserved more than what the school has provided for us for mental health, and everyone who knew Matthew, Henry and Hayden needs the resources we weren't able to provide for those boys now more than ever. Since what we have been doing to date didn't work for them, it's not going to work for future students."

Dr. Scott McCarthy, a special services and special education administrator in the district who has a background as a psychologist, said the district is experiencing a "death-by-suicide cluster."

"As mental health professionals, we know that a major risk factor in a community for a second death by suicide is completion of the first," McCarthy explained. "Vulnerable students observing another student and their pain and a death by suicide has the potential to engender the same thoughts in another student who is in pain."

As a result, McCarthy said guidance on addressing clusters is "far more complexed and nuanced."

Dr. Jessica Welt, CEO and clinical director of Child Guidance Center of Southern Connecticut, said it's normal in the wake of an unexplained death and youth suicide to want answers and want to be called into action.

She recommended to the board that the district prioritize providing structure and normalcy to students in the the postvention phase for the end of the school year and into the summer, while initiating and planning for a more comprehensive suicide prevention program long-term.

Welt also suggested the creation of a "school-based health center," which would provide students with therapy services during their school day.

Superintendent of Darien Public Schools Alan Addley mentioned putting together a task force to help oversee bigger issues related to mental health.

First Selectman Monica McNally said meetings have already taken place with various community stakeholders on the idea.

"I think the postvention is important, but the planning going forward — we don't want to keep being in this same spot," McNally said.

Board member Tara Wurm said she was frustrated by the lack of resources for students.

"I've realized we're in crisis mode, and I hate that we are in crisis mode. But we also have to look at once we get through crisis mode, what are the resources available to the students because they're telling us they're not enough," Wurm said. "If we look to other towns, we are not doing what they're doing."

Wurm said she hoped the district doesn't "drop the ball" on this issue.

"[I want to] make sure we're doing what we need to do for our students and our community," she said.

You can view Tuesday's board of education meeting here.