SEGUIN, Texas — One non-profit organization is hoping to work with Seguin ISD and implement mental health resources after two high school students died on Wednesday.
“We have a lot in place with our mental health first aid program. We just want to implement it inside the schools so that children will have another resource. Again, we’re not trying to point fingers, we’re not trying to say that you guys need us, no the students need all of us," said Laraine Turner, cognitive behavioral therapist with Precious Life Suicide Prevention.
Seguin ISD this week said it is mourning the loss of two "members of our Matador Family."
The district did not say how the people died or whether they were students, staff members or teachers.
Members of the community learned more about the students through the obituaries section of a Seguin-based news outlet.
In a social post, the district said it was offering counseling services to help the community deal with grief and loss.
The statement reads in part:
"As we mourn them together, our staff is working to support students, teachers, and faculty as best we can with counseling as needed. Our hearts are with their families, but we ask that our community please respect their privacy."
According to the Guadalupe County Justice of the Peace, one of the Seguin High School students, who was 16-years-old, died by suicide. No information was immediately available for the other student who died.
“They had a promising future ahead of them and for this circumstance to happen like this, it’s tragic not only just to their family but to the whole community," Turner said, who learned of the news through a parent in the community.
Since 1994, Precious Life Suicide Prevention has provided a variety of services for those struggling with their mental health, including adolescents and adults. The non-profit's work has been recognized by former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton, former First Lady Laura Bush and several Texas-based city and state officials.
In 2022, Precious Life Suicide Prevention interacted with more than 18,000 people, including children and their parents.
Turner said the organization has worked with over 12,000 individuals so far in 2024.
“We offer a lot of self-improvement, self-awareness and how to deal with bullies, how to deal with peer pressure, how to even deal with even your own school work," Turner said.
"Our objective is to enable parents, students, schools, and the broader community to identify signs and behaviors indicative of suicidal tendencies and to educate them on the appropriate actions to take should they or someone they know be at risk.
KENS 5 has reached out to the district for a comment.