Suicide is a topic some simply do not want to talk about, but considering a Wawasee High School student committed suicide just a couple of years ago and others attempted it, the topic does hit close to home.

During Tuesday’s regular monthly Wawasee school board meeting in Syracuse, the board heard a presentation from Mary Gerard of the Bowen Center and Tammy Cotton of the Syracuse-Wawasee Chamber of Commerce about a suicide prevention event scheduled for Nov. 11. Gerard said the event will be known as “question, persuade and refer” and has been used already in Tippecanoe Valley schools. She noted more than 100 people showed up for an event there. “It is designed to get people to feel comfortable talking about suicide,” she said. “It’s something a lot of people don’t walk to talk about, but it needs to be addressed.”

Gerard said a Indiana Youth Institute report released in April was troubling. It stated suicide is the second leading cause of death among teens and Indiana is second in the nation at 19 percent among the number of teens who have contemplated suicide and first in the nation (11 percent) in the number who have reported trying it.

Cotton said the chamber has already been offering mental health first aid classes and will team up with the Syracuse Police Department and the Bowen Center for the event. It will be held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 11, at the Syracuse Community Center.

In other business, the board heard a report from Megan McClellan, director of Syracuse-Wawasee Trails, about a $16,500 grant received for Safe Routes to Schools. She said a survey will be submitted to parents and others asking what their concerns and thoughts are about how their kids get to school. She said although Safe Routes to Schools is about more than biking or walking, biking and walking will be focused on.

McClellan noted the trail system has been designed at least in part with the idea in mind to give safe access to local schools. Data from the survey will be incorporated into the mapping of the trails. A kickoff event of some type will be held for Safe Routes to Schools, though no dates have been set yet.

Also at Tuesday’s meeting, there was some discussion about renewing the Latch Key agreement for Milford School. New Beginnings Daycare will no longer be providing the service for Milford School due to low numbers using it. Lakeland Community Services in Syracuse was chosen as the replacement for Latch Key. Parents will drop their kids off in the morning at Syracuse Elementary and they will be bussed to Milford School. No services are provided in the afternoon.

Board members Rob Fisher and Rebecca Linnemeier voted against the agreement with Lakeland, questioning why the school corporation will have to pay for transportation but no staff member from Lakeland will be provided as was the case when New Beginnings handled the service.

Other agenda items included:

• The board approved purchasing 15 acres of land from the Eagles along Kern Road in Syracuse for $277,500 in order for a new Syracuse Elementary to be built (see related story in The Mail-Journal).

• Approval was granted for a donation of $3,000 from Women of Today to the school corporation. One iPad will be donated by Women of Today to each of the three elementary schools later.

• Approval was given for a donation of $1,000 from Lakeland Kiwanis and K-21 Foundation for a gardening project at North Webster Elementary.

• A work order change for approximately $7,000 was approved to correct a blueprint related error involving electrical work as part of ongoing renovations at the high school.

• Several overnight trips were approved by the board, including the auto service class to visit a college in Ohio, among others.

• And Dr. Tom Edington, superintendent, noted other funding sources are being looked at to help the Boomerang Backpacks program because funding has diminished.