By Jim Walsh, Ahwatukee Foothills News
Chandler educator Katey McPherson says 18 East Valley teens took their lives between July 24 and November. Although none have been reported since then, she feels the state Legislature should have passed state Sen. Sean Bowie’s bill requiring suicide-prevention training in schools.
The East Valley-based movement to prevent teen suicide ran into a temporary roadblock at the Arizona Legislative, where separate bills sponsored by Ahwatukee and Tempe legislators failed to gain adequate support.
Republican-controlled committees in both chambers bottled up the bills, essentially killing them for this session.
That move came despite the fact that at least 18 East Valley teens have taken their lives between July 24 and November, according to Chandler educator Katey McPherson’s unofficial count.
