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SD76 provides more resources following season two of ’13 Reasons Why’

Jun 1, 2018 | 4:36 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — The city’s largest school division is making sure parents and teachers have the tools they need to talk to teens and students about the controversial Netflix series 13 Reasons Why.

The series addresses bullying, gun violence, sexual assault and suicide.

One parent group is urging Netflix to cancel the series altogether.

On a local level, the Medicine Hat School District said it’s these topics which need to be discussed.

Superintendent Mark Davidson said teachers and other staff members wanted to make sure there were resources available online in case anyone needs them.

The first season of the show is based on a book by Jay Asher and is used in high school English classes throughout the division.

Davidson said the contents are relevant to young adults and conversations about sexual assault and suicide are important to have, especially with anyone who may be struggling.

Season two of the series touches more on sexual violence, drug abuse and school shootings.

The division has posted a ‘13 Reasons Why’ toolkit online to help parents and educators alike have those conversations and find access to supports if they’re needed.

He’s hopeful that if students need help, they’ll be more compelled to talk with someone they trust.

“The thought behind doing what we’re doing as a system is knowing that everyone who views it with a different life history and a different perspective and they also come at it in a different place in terms of their own mental health,” Davidson said. “We want to make sure that anyone who might be watching it, who’s fragile at the moment or experiencing challenges, is compelled towards seeking support as opposed to compelled towards actions that might harm themselves.”

School psychologist Claire Petersen said she was worried about some of the messages in season one but appreciated the warnings Netflix provided at the beginning and end of the episodes in season two.

The message was simple and encourages anyone to find help if they needed to talk to someone.

The info on the division’s website has been linked to all of the school’s websites, making it easy for anyone to access.

Many of the points listed include how to talk about the show and the subject of suicide, along with other topics depicted in the series.

Petersen said it’s important kids know there’s someone they can talk to and to hear that there’s more reasons of ‘why not’ than ‘why’.

“Some people aren’t comfortable having those conversations, or wouldn’t know what to say,” she said. “There’s still a lot of belief that if we talk about suicide, we make it happen. And it’s the vulnerable kids that I would be worried about. It’s heavy content for any adolescent to watch, so I would hope that parents would be having conversations with their kids, or watching it with them so that they can talk about things as they come up.”

To see the guidance resources from the Medicine Hat Public School Division, click here.