Portsmouth students haven’t forgotten bill bearing Nate’s name

I feel like distance learning and COVID has really stressed me out and my friends.”

Anna Conheeny, Every Student Initiative

PORTSMOUTH — Wearing “Be Great for Nate” T-shirts and filling the House and Senate viewing galleries, friends of the late Nathan Bruno came out in droves to the State House on March 21, 2019 to support and testify on a suicide prevention education bill bearing his name.

During subcommittee hearings on the Nathan Bruno and Jason Flatt Act, the student turnout impressed lawmakers who were considering legislation requiring all public school districts to adopt suicide prevention policies and to annually train all personnel in suicide awareness and prevention. The measure also required schools to notify parents when there’s a conflict between their child and a teacher.

But despite the fanfare and strong support, the bill didn’t make it to the governor’s desk that year. And due to COVID, it wasn’t on the radar last year as well.

However, 2021 will be different, say members of Every Student Initiative, a program of the nonprofit Be Great for Nate that advocates for more mental health resources in public schools. Now that things are beginning to loosen up on the Covid front, and certain aspects of the legislation have been modified to alleviate concerns by key stakeholders, there’s no reason why the bill shouldn’t become law this year, they say.

“I’m pretty confident,” said Marcus Evans, a junior member of ESI who was one of those students who testified in support of the measure back in 2019. “I’ve pretty sure the House and Senate have seen it and they want to do something like this.”

Added Shea Rearick, a senior and director of policy for ESI, “I don’t see how they can’t do it for a second time. We just want to get that law passed and save lives.”

Another ESI member, junior Anna Conheeny, said the group’s focus is on saving lives and stopping suicide, like the one that took the life of 15-year-old PHS student Nathan Bruno on Feb. 7, 2018. “The kids are begging to have safety in our schools,” she said.

All three students plan to testify on the modified bill this time around, which Steven Peterson, executive director of Be Great For Nate Inc., expects to happen in March or April.

The first version of the bill ran into some snags when a few key stakeholders, such as Rhode Island NEA, the Rhode Island School Superintendents Association and the ACLU, raised issues about some of the language in the legislation, according to Mr. Peterson. 

“They didn’t like the name change, from ‘guidance counselor’ to ‘academic advisor’ — which is what they’re called in college,” he said in pointing out one example. 

That change was made despite students saying the current terminology is confusing and misleading.

There were also changes made to a section that talks about the process after a complaint is filed against a school staff member, Mr. Peterson said. 

“Our most productive meeting was with the NEA. From there it kind of went back to the drawing board,” he said. 

It’s crucial that the bill passes this year. “If it doesn’t get out of committee, you have to just scrap it and start over,” he said. 

Since the hearings will be held over the Zoom platform, there won’t be dozens of students roaming around the State House this year. Still, Marcus, Anna and Shea are looking forward to testifying.

It will be the second go-around for Marcus, who spoke to two different subcommittees in 2019. “The first time was nerve-racking, but the second one wasn’t as bad,” he said. “This time I’ll probably just try to emphasize how we really need to get this passed, because training for school personnel can really help a lot.”

“Most teachers have no idea — they don’t know what a ‘red flag’ is,” added Anna, who like many other ESI members has been trained to spot warning signs in troubled youths who may be in danger of harming themselves. “Now I can help (my friends) if something goes wrong, because I’ve had the training.”

It’s certainly paid off, according to Mr. Peterson. In the past three years, he’s made 68 wellness checks for local young people, based on tips from ESI students.

“I call police and tell them what’s going on and they find out if that kid is in danger. I’ve done them for kids in sixth grade through 18 years old. After 18 I can’t really made a wellness check call,” he said. “We’re up to over 100 kids who have gotten this training. In the last three months, we’ve trained 55 kids.”

Training public school personnel to spot the warning signs and take appropriate action is a key part of the legislation. “That’s the main issue that happened with Nathan. The teachers don’t know how to handle those kinds of things,” said Shea.

Bigger need than ever

All three students said with COVID still hanging around, it’s critical that the bill becomes law this year. 

“Kids are probably struggling now more than they ever were before, just because of the new school structure. It’s more stressful than ever,” said Marcus,” who is distance learning along with Anna and Shea. “Personally, I’ve definitely been way more stressed out when it comes to school.”

Anna agreed, saying it’s challenging to keep up with everything when learning through an internet connection.

“I feel like distance learning and COVID has really stressed me out and my friends. The teachers are both on Zoom and in class, so no one’s getting the focus they should be. Most teachers take up all the time teaching, so if you have a question, they can’t answer it,” she said.

Shea said only 150 students were at the high school last Thursday. “You can even tell when you’re in classes on Zoom — 15 to 20 kids are on the computers instead of in class,” he said.

It didn’t help that Anna and Marcus contracted COVID, as did both of Shea’s parents.

“I don’t even go anywhere. I probably got it from work. For two days I was down and out and couldn’t move,” Anna said, adding she also passed it on to her mom. “It’s worse for her.”

Written testimony sought

While ESI prepares for its testimony on the Nathan Bruno and Jason Flatt Act, Mr. Peterson said the organization plans to collect written testimony on the Be Great for Nate website (bg4n.org). In addition, 10 students at Salve Regina University plan on contacting legislators to garner more support.

Although the State House is closed off to most members of the public due to the pandemic, Mr. Peterson hopes ESI can lead a strong show of support anyway. “This time we’re hoping to get outside the State House and go around it with 300 people,” he said.

Since Nathan died more than three years ago, lots of Rhode Island teens have taken their own lives, he said, and the suicide rate has spiked due to COVID.

“This bill could have saved them,” Mr. Peterson said. “It’s such a politically charged world, but this is a bipartisan issue.”

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