https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.theledger.com/news/20191102/baker-acting-students-on-rise-in-polk-county-school-district%3ftemplate=ampart

My name is Jasmine Burden and I am a junior at Bartow Senior High School in Bartow, Florida. I have been in the Polk County Public School system for my entire life. Lately, I've been more aware of issues that students my age face. Wednesday November 6th, a student tried to commit suicide in one of the bathrooms on the BHS campus. This is not the first time an event like this has happened on our campus. Last school year a student tried to do the same on the Summerlin Academy campus (conjoined with BHS). Everyone knows about the gun violence within our schools and it is proven that mental instability can warrant a student to makes these irrational and deadly decisions.

I simply want mental health assistance to be more accessible within my school and other Polk Schools. Our guidance counselors are great but they aren't trained for these types or things. Instead of proper counseling, if a student goes to any staff member with thoughts of hurting themselves or others they are simply shipped away to the local mental health facility for 3 days. Many parents don't understand what their children experience on a daily basis, and they don't feel the need for medications and therapy. I feel that there should be at least 2 qualified mental health counselors on every school campus, for the benefit of all students.