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Lawmakers debated a measure at the Capitol on Thursday that hit close to home for students and parents at Clearfield High, still in shock over the suicides of two students this week.

On Thursday, Davis School District and Davis Behavioral Health counselors continued working with students at Clearfield High, helping them cope with the loss of the two boys, one of whom died Sunday and the other Wednesday morning, said Chris Williams, district spokesman. He said as far as the district could tell as of Thursday, there was no connection between the deaths, other than that the boys attended the same school. Both incidents occurred at the boys' homes.

"The challenging thing with both situations is both kids appeared to be doing quite well, so that's where a lot of the concern [has been] raised among students and teachers as well as parents," Williams said. He said both students were "very well-known, very well-liked."

Counselors visited students' first-period classes Thursday to talk with them about handling the situation, said Shauna Lund, a spokeswoman for the district. And on Wednesday evening, more than 100 parents attended a meeting at the school held by Davis Behavioral Health on how to help kids deal with the deaths and prevent others.

They're the types of meetings that some lawmakers said Thursday they would like to see held at schools throughout the state.

The House on Thursday narrowly passed HB420, which would require school districts to offer yearly, optional seminars for parents about substance abuse, bullying, Internet safety and mental health.

The bill was written before the Clearfield suicides, but the deaths played a part in debate over the measure Thursday. Bill sponsor Rep. Steve Eliason, R-Sandy, urged fellow lawmakers to pass it, saying often schools don't hold such meetings until it's too late.

Eliason said he was inspired to run the bill after three children at a middle school in his area died last year. In one month at Union Middle School in Sandy last year, one child committed suicide, another died during surgery, and the cause of the third death was not released by the district. The school subsequently held seminars for parents, which were well-attended. Eliason said the father of one of the children asked him to take action to help prevent further suicides.

"If we believe these issues exist in our children's schools, let's give parents the voluntary option to learn more about these topics," Eliason said.

Some lawmakers argued that though the issues are important, it's not the Legislature's place to mandate such seminars. Many said it should be left up to schools.

"The intentions of this bill are great — nobody's going to disagree with that," said Rep. David Butterfield, R-Logan. "But good grief, let's resist being the school board for every school district."

A somber Rep. Paul Ray, R-Clearfield, however, spoke in support of requiring yearly seminars. As he spoke, his daughter, a Clearfield High student, sat behind him. He said she didn't go to school Thursday as "it's quite emotional at the school."

"We thought three days ago that we didn't need these things, that it wasn't important, that our kids were pretty balanced and everything was OK. And guess what — this would have been very important," Ray said. "You would never have thought this would have been something that would happen to them."

The House ultimately passed the bill 40-30. It now goes to the Senate.

Many Clearfield parents and educators weren't aware of the House debate Thursday, instead focusing on helping students cope with the losses. Williams said about 400 of the school's 1,600 students stayed home Wednesday, and about 230 missed school Thursday.

"When I walked in the school [Wednesday] around 9 in the morning, there were students in the hallway crying and hugging each other, and there were parents showing up checking their students out," Williams said.

Andra Cefalo, Clearfield High PTA president, said the deaths have touched everyone in the school community, including her daughter, who was friends with one of the boys.

"As a parent you just want to do the best that you can for your child and hope that they will know that if they had any problems that they could come to us before something like this happens," Cefalo said. She said she's been impressed with the school's efforts to help students deal with the deaths.

Greg Hudnall, Provo District associate superintendent, spoke to parents Wednesday night during the meeting at the school about the need for them to build positive rapport with their children and the importance of reaching out to find help if they have serious concerns. Hudnall is an expert in community support for suicide prevention.

"This is a very serious matter, and that's why we're trying to do as much as we can to provide support," Hudnall said. —

Warning signs

Greg Hudnall, Provo District associate superintendent and an expert in community support for suicide prevention, lists some behaviors to watch for when it comes to teen suicide:

Loss of motivation and joy, hopelessness

Anxiety, agitation, anger

Withdraws from family and friends, isolation

Change in appearance, appetite, sleeping or academic performance

Friends who have attempted suicide

Giving away prized possessions

Preoccupation with death

If you need help or know someone who needs help, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK for free.