Abby Smith, an 8th-grade student at Park Forest Middle School, tragically passed away from suicide on May 12, 2024. Among many factors contributing to this devastating loss were reports of bullying. We believe, without a doubt, that her death could have been averted had the school been proactive to the situation.

"The suicide rate among adolescents aged 10 to 14 has been alarmingly increasing, doubling in the United States from 2007 to 2014, as reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In 2014 alone, 425 young people in this age group lost their lives to suicide." (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

Students at Park Forest Middle School lack adequate mental health support and there's a critical and urgent need for improvement.

This article shows incidents of bullying among current and former students, proving beyond doubt that cases of bullying are not isolated within the school's history but are part of an ongoing problem that demands serious attention. Without decisive action from the school and administrators these issues are likely to persist, potentially leading to continued harm to future and present students.

The school has to understand that these problems don't just up and vanish once the student leaves and moves on to high school. The consequences of bullying can be serious and long-lasting. It is crucial that proactive measures be taken to ensure a safe and supportive environment for all students.

Schools play a pivotal role in providing resources and fostering environments where students feel safe seeking help. By prioritizing mental health support, schools not only enhance students' ability to succeed academically but also contribute to their overall growth and development.

Mental health issues affect every student every day in all aspects of daily life. According to the Suicide Prevention Resource Center, "Mental health challenges can impact energy levels, focus, reliability, mental abilities, and optimism, all of which can hurt academic performance. Research links depression to lower GPAs, with the combination of depression and anxiety worsening these effects." It is crucial that students receive the appropriate support they need to address these mental health issues.

We ask for comprehensive mental health initiatives at Park Forest Middle School that focus on regular check-ins and assessments of students' well-beings, thorough training for staff and educators to quickly detect signs of distress among students before the situation escalates, a protocol for communicating them to parents, and an effective anti-bullying policy that clearly define bullying behavior and establish a zero-tolerance stance.

We insist that the school emphasizes the importance of addressing mental health and bullying with appropriate seriousness. Both victims of school bullying and students facing peer-related challenges deserve to receive the acknowledgment and support they require.

Students should be able to get the help they need even if they don't know how to ask for it.

We urgently appeal to the school board, SCASD superintendent, district administration, and local government of State College to heed our plea and take immediate action before another entirely preventable tragedy occurs.

As a parent stated in the Centre Daily Times, "There needs to be true change and true help."

Sign this petition and help us so that no student at Park Forest Middle School, or any school, feels unheard, unsafe, or hopeless ever again.