District to hold mental health discussion

The Laguna Beach Unified School District will host a parent information session on students’ mental health at Thurston Middle School on Wednesday.

Annette Craig, presenter and founder of With Hope, The Amber Craig Memorial Foundation, will educate, equip and empower attendees on understanding and addressing mental health conditions prevalent in teens. With Hope is a nonprofit organization dedicated to suicide prevention through improving mental support services and education in schools and throughout communities.

Craig will cover a variety of strategies on how parents and guardians can help recognize risk factors and address mental health issues.

One in five children ages 13 to 18 have, or will have, a serious mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness.

There is often a delay between the onset of symptoms and intervention, Irene White, district director of special education, said in a statement.

“We know that 90% of students [in the U.S.] who died by suicide had an underlying mental illness,” White said. “Intervention and treatment are critical and must occur early on, which includes a collaborative approach from our whole community.”

The session begins at 6 p.m. in Thurston’s Black Box theatre at 2100 Park Ave.

For more information and to RSVP, contact Laguna Beach High Assistant Principal Robert Billinger atrbillinger@lbusd.org.

—Bryce Alderton