SALT LAKE CITY — A Utah bill moving through the Legislature would give the state board of education more flexibility in how suicide prevention funding is distributed to public schools but some students say any change could come at a cost.
A senior at Springville High School, Paige Turley, reached out to FOX 13 News earlier this month, worried about SB34 Public Education Revisions, which would allow the Utah State Board of Education to adjust how suicide prevention grants are distributed. “If that funding gets reduced, that’s limiting the resources people have to potentially save their lives,” she said.
Turley is a member of her school’s Hope Squad, a group of students trained to recognize when classmates may be struggling with their mental health and will connect them to support. Turley and other members are worried that even a small reduction could limit the work they do.
“Imagine if we didn’t have these resources when we were going through tough times,” Turley said. “Some of us might not even be here.”
Because for Turley, the program isn’t just about helping others, it’s personal. “I’ve struggled with mental health my entire life and I’ve had moments where I felt like there were only a few ways out,” she said. “Hope Squad gave me tools that I used to help save myself."
Turley joined Hope Squad after losing her best friend, a soccer teammate she had known since first grade, to suicide.
“I wear this ring with an ‘S’ on it for her. She’s my phone background,” Turley said. “She was like a sister to me.”
Under current law, every public school receives $1,000 a year for suicide prevention efforts, according to the Utah State Board of Education. The state board requested the change because as more schools open across Utah, it’s become harder to stretch limited dollars evenly, according to the Utah State Board of Education. The update would allow the board to distribute all available funds even if that amount dips below $1,000 per school.
“There’s nothing in this bill that reduces funding,” Sen. John D. Johnson, the bill’s sponsor, said. “It simply gives the board some flexibility in case of a budget cut.”
The SB34 is now in the House; it's been introduced and is sitting in the House Rules Committee before it heads to a standing committee for further review.
“It's kids' lives, it’s our lives," Charlotte Fuhriman, Hope Squad's president, said.
