UPDATE: Expert Offers Insight on Talking with Youth, Parents Meeting Scheduled for Tonight

Parents in the Johnston school district can attend a meeting today to help address the recent deaths of two teenage students.

The meeting, to be held at 5 p.m. in the Johnston Middle School auditorium, includes a presentation by two experts in loss and grieving, according to the district's website. The experts will provide insights and guidance on how to talk to and support students.

Two 15-year-old boys, one a Johnston High School student and one a Johnston Middle School student, died in unrelated cases, authorities said. Cameron Carico, a ninth-grader, died Saturday morning, while Spenser Nelson, a 10th-grader, died on Sunday night.

Cyndy Erikson, consultant with the Iowa Department of Education, offered several tips and insight on addressing such a difficult situation with young adults.

While Erikson is not one of the experts attending tonight's meeting, she has dealt with similar situations.

"Talking to your kids," she said of dealing with the aftermath of a suicide. "Not treating this as a taboo subject that we don't talk about, but really talk about their feelings, how this might be impacting them. Keeping a close eye on them."

Keeping tabs on what your child is doing is also very important, especially with social media.

Several social media pages have been set up to remember Cameron Carico and Spenser Nelson, including on You Tube and Facebook.

"I think talking to adults, processing that in a way that is sort of not memorializing or glorifying the incident," Erikson said. "Because it causes a lot of hurt and questions that need to be processed."

Making sure students have a strong support network is another top priority, she said.

The Johnston school district has made counselors available to students at several buildings since Monday morning.

Parents, teachers, and community members should be vigilant in watching for signs of depression following such an event.

"I don't know that it's common, but it's certainly something to be concerned about and to watch for," she said of additional suicides. "There is always someone to help in the situation that you're going through. To make sure there is someone they feel safe with. Don't treat it like it's not urgent, we need to respond immediately."

Funeral Arrangements

The families of both boys have announced visitation and funeral arrangements.

A visitation for Cameron will take place at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 1, at Oakwood United Methodist Church, 440 N.E. 56th St. in Pleasant Hill.

Funeral services for Cameron will be at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, at Oakwood Methodist Church.

The visitation for Spenser will begin at 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, at Johnston Evangelical Free Church, 9901 N.W. 62nd Ave.

Funeral services for Spenser will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 3, at Johnston Evangelical Free Church.

In a news release from the school district, students planning to attend the services were asked to notify the school office to arrange for their absence.

"This is a very difficult time for all of us, but especially the Carico and Nelson families," Superintendent Clay Guthmiller said in the release. "I want to thank you for your support and encouragement as we move forward together as a school community."