D303 forms round-table to address problem of student suicides

Six students in St. Charles Unit District 303 committed suicide since 2002, enough to sound a warning alarm to district staff that they are not reaching troubled students as well as they need to.

District representatives joined local and county law enforcement and members of local religious organizations on Thursday to announce they will now partner together in a several round-table discussions to figure out what the district must change to help stop student suicides.

All the students who took their own lives were in high school. One involved a student at St. Charles North High School in 2002, the others St. Charles East High School students. The majority of the suicides were female students.

That includes the stepdaughter of Craig Bobowiec. Bobowiec was at the news conference announcing the round-table and blasted the district for failing to address the problem until consistent pressure from aggrieved parents reached a boiling point following a recent student suicide.

"It's taken six kids to have this news conference," Bobowiec said. "The school wants to sweep this under the rug."

Bobowiec called on the district to bring in expert organizations and use program models from other school districts to create change as soon as possible. He cited Batavia-based Suicide Prevention Services as an organization he wants involved. Bobowiec theorized that it was only staff arrogance and the "dirty-little-secret" nature of student suicide that's kept the issue from being addressed in a spotlight fashion until now.

The district does spend time in health and physical education classes talking about depression and suicide, but Bobowiec said a couple classes a year does not adequately address the difficulties that inspire frustration and depression in today's teens.

District staff said the roundtables will address Bobowiec's concerns.

"We believe that we have a particular reason to be concerned in District 303," said John Knewitz, the district's assistant superintendent for student services. "There have been six suicides in the district and that is not an acceptable pattern. We have to do everything we can to address that."

The round-table will convene about four times during May and June with the goal of formulating an action plan by the end of the school year.