Last week Benicia Unified School District trustees approved Board Policy 5141.52, which addresses teen suicide.

But that approval came after Barbara Gervase and other community members addressed the board to voice their concerns, and to ask them to consider creating a teen center.

Gervase is the mother of Kyle Hyland, a Benicia High School student who took his own life last December.

“I was encouraged to learn that the program Sources of Strength may be brought to the high school this fall, but I am worried that there are no plans for a specific suicide prevention training for staff,” Gervase said.

Gervase also expressed concern over language usage in the suicide policy.

“With a small town such as Benicia, with only two high schools and one middle school, it is critical that the policy be an appropriate reflection of the close-knit, rumor-fed atmosphere of the community,” she said. “The news of my son’s death spread like wildfire in this community, and the school district did little to address or support the students in the aftermath.”

Gervase suggested that language be added to support intervention procedures for suicide attempts off campus as well as on.

She also stressed the need for a teen center in the city.

“Even with the positive changes that are being considered, the limited support our students can expect to receive from the few counselors at both the middle and high school makes the teen center a necessity,” she said.

Added Shandrika Powell, a parent who helped bring the Challenge Day program to the high school a couple years ago: “There is a lack of connectedness in the middle school and high school, especially in the high school in recent years. The lack of connection between teachers and students and the administrators on campus I feel is high.”

Powell said she had heard of many instances where students felt they were not cared about at school. “I believe they would learn better if there was more of a culture of connectedness and caring for each other.

“I challenge Benicia to better. I think we have great schools, people move here for our schools … but we can do better. We need to raise our level of what is best for the kids.

“They need motivation. They need encouragement. I could barely get any teachers to do Challenge Day, and it is because their culture is broken there,” she said. “I’m pleading with you guys to say ‘let’s find a way, let’s challenge each other to collaborate,’ and ask if everyone can just do more … and work as a team.”

Board President Gary Wing sought to clarify that the policy was only a beginning, a first step to getting a policy handbook going and “to get the ball rolling where we can develop a suicide prevention/intervention handbook.”

Dr. Carolyn Patton, director of special services, said “the big part of it is the training for our staff. Under our current policy we have no mandate for the district to train staff in the area of suicide prevention, understanding the signs and symptoms of suicide for their students.”

Patton said training is slated for Aug. 24 for secondary staff, and Feb. 15, 2016 for elementary staff.

Several items will be up for approval Thursday, including the 2015-16 budget and the Local Control Accountabilty Plan, both of which were discussed in public hearings last Thursday.

Chief Business Official Tim Rahill presented the draft budget last Thursday for 2015-16 using information from Gov. Jerry Brown’s May Revise Budget, as well as several budget assumptions, in particular relying on reports that the district will operate at a “break-even.”

Also Thursday, Mitchell Stark, director of bond projects, will present for consideration and approval the award of contracts for three separate items covered by the funding from the Measure S bond, which was passed by voters in June 2014.

The items:

• A contract for professional design and engineering services for the replacement of the fire alarm system at Benicia Middle School to American Consulting Engineers Electrical Inc. for $82,000.

• A contract for the exterior painting of Benicia High School to CAM Painting Inc. for $492,000.

• A contract for the re-roofing of Mary Farmar Elementary School to Joseph Murphy Construction Inc. for $409,305.

If You Go
The BUSD Governing Board will meet today at 6 p.m. in a closed session, then at 7 p.m. in open session in the BUSD board room, 350 East K St. See the complete agenda at benicia.agendaonline.net/public.