[Trigger Warning: Sensitive content includes suicide and homicide. Reader’s discretion is advised.]
In an age where mental health support is dire, Skyline High School’s resources are being questioned. Suicide is the second leading cause of death in American adolescents, according to the National Institute of Health. Accidents like car crashes precede suicide, which is closely followed by homicide.
Mental health concerns are becoming increasingly common in younger generations. As this issue amplifies among youth, awareness of it must do the same.
Skyline students have given their opinions regarding how much they feel supported at school. Abigail Louder, who has spent the last four years there, says, “I feel like Skyline does a pretty good job at supporting their students. […] However, in the way of […] having resources readily available for mental health, I don’t think they’re as good at that.”
During the first week of November, suicide prevention presentations were given around the school by the counselors, social worker, and school psychologist, so it does seem like they are making some effort to support their students. Louder agrees, “I think that they try really hard, but it has a long way to go.”
On the other hand, at times, it can feel like Skyline presents their view of mental health differently on the surface than their actions reflect. Most parents care about the image of the school they send their kids to and want that school to have the best environment for them. Administrators also care about how the school appears externally, whether that is to competing schools or to parents. Louder says, “I think they try very hard to make it look like they value it and […] care a lot about it,” but “behind the scenes it’s not as important compared to [things like] academics and sports.”
Skyline’s School Psychologist Victoria Hatton was asked how much she thinks the school values mental health. She said, “In any organization, where are you putting your money? That’s how you identify what people value.” The Community Council (made up of parents, teachers, and administrators) oversees the LAND (Learning and Nurturing Development) Trust Budget. Since Hatton started working at Skyline, they have paid for her to be there full-time, which ties back to her point on money: the school does care enough to fund support.
According to her, “Skyline is the only high school in the Granite School District that has a full-time school psychologist.” Although this seems like a positive at first, it really just shows how much the Granite District as a whole values mental health. Emotional well-being should not be made into a competition between schools but instead an available resource to all students.
Hatton was asked if she felt supported enough to do her job. She responded, “The National Association of School Psychologists [says] their recommendation for the number of students to school psychologist ratio is 1:500. If we had that, we would have four [full-time] school psychologists here, which is not going to happen.” Unfortunately, this is a reality, but how can Skyline realistically improve?
As stated previously, suicide prevention powerpoints are given around the school during two days of the year. Hatton has said that she loves doing these presentations because they spread awareness. Although this is true, many students still don’t reach out to her or the school social worker, Taylor Hull. This brings up questions as to why. A part of it is likely related to students feeling reluctant because of issues like personal conflicts or a taboo around mental health aid.
Additionally, the way these issues are presented gives the impression that it impacts Skyline’s outcomes. These presentations, especially ones directed towards Junior and Senior classes, are centered around severe cases, like suicide. Even though this is a very important topic, it can feel limiting for anything less extreme. Everyone deals with mental hardship in one way or another. People don’t need to have a mental disorder to need or want help.
Louder expressed, “They do a good job of helping people who have diagnoses or extreme cases, but they need to do a better job at helping people who are just having a rough time, had a hard week, or have a difficult home life or family.” Even though they want to help everyone whether the issue is severe or not, they would see a lot more engagement if they normalized their resources to everyday problems as well. In reality, promoting mental health support and awareness for only two days a year is not enough, especially for students who were gone the day their class was presented to. It needs to be consistent enough to desensitize students to the idea of mental health and asking for support. Louder adds, “I definitely think that they should advertise the resources that we already have [more], [but also improve on them].”
One important aspect of school psychology, according to Hatton, is, “we do not provide therapy.” She emphasizes that schools like Skyline are meant to be protected as an “educational institution.” “I’m a school psychologist; school is first in my title for a reason, because I’m an educator,” she says. Although the school wants to support its students, they are only meant to teach specific techniques and strategies to help kids cope. She adds, “We don’t treat illness in schools; we teach skills.”
In fact, according to Utah Legislature (.gov), Utah House Bill 281 was recently passed in 2025 to enforce boundaries around the physical and mental support given to students, such as “prior informed written parental consent.”
Hatton herself is bound by these restrictions. She is not allowed to counsel any student without parental permission, unless they are in an immediate crisis. Otherwise, a parent or guardian must sign the “Counseling Permission Form,” which covers possible items of discussion. If this form is signed, the parent is consenting to the following topics that could come up: political affiliations or philosophies; mental or psychological problems; sexual behavior, orientation, or attitudes; illegal, anti-social, self-incriminating, or demeaning behavior; critical appraisals of those with whom the student has a close familial relationship; religious affiliations or beliefs; legally recognized privileges and analogous relationships; and income.
As mentioned earlier, homicide is also in the top three causes of teenage deaths. This raises questions as to why these numbers are so high for teenagers specifically while being nowhere as high on the list for adults. Mental health concerns don’t often diminish as people age, which is why it is important that they check up on themselves as well as others.
FBI reports suggest that the most common age for homicide offenders is between the ages of 18 and 24. Although poor mental health is not the cause for all of these tragedies, it does play a role in a significant number of them, especially in younger perpetrators. In this modern day, school shootings are only growing more common and, unfortunately, almost normalized in certain areas. This is only more reason to pay attention to the struggling youth.
Louder concludes, “Mental struggles affect a lot more people than some might think.”
