by A.P.
surge in student suicides has prompted Las Vegas schools, the country’s fifth-largest district, to begin a phased reopening from coronavirus-caused shutdowns.
Since the school system shut its doors last March, more than 3,100 alerts have been sent to district officials from a warning system that monitors the mental health of students. In the nine months that followed the shutdown, 18 of those young people took their own lives, double the amount of the entire previous year.
In response, Clark County schools have initiated plans to bring students back to school as quickly as possible. Even the midst of high COVID-19 diagnoses, the district will begin phasing in elementary schools and vulnerable student groups.
Jara said he was personally devastated at his district’s losses, noting that the youngest suicide was a 9-year-old elementary student.