AUSTIN, Texas - Travis Early College High School served as a counseling center for families on Friday. Classes were canceled for the second day after the body of a student was found on campus.
Some parents and students chose to gather just outside campus to show support, raise awareness and reevaluate current resources.
"We’re here to support mental health and let them know that mental health is real and that it’s really hard for people to ask for help, but don't be scared to ask for help," said Stefani Corpus, whose son will be a freshman at TECHS next school year.
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One resource for AISD students comes from an organization called Life Anew Restorative Justice, which helps students navigate life and school challenges. The organization started inside the Travis County Jail before it moved into schools with the goal of disrupting the "school-to-prison" pipeline.
"We can't take away from how somebody feels," said Sherwynn Patton, co-executive director of the organization, who attended the rally on Friday. "But if we can just come alongside people and provide a sense of hope during a time of hopelessness, I think that we've done our part."
The program has coordinators stationed at Travis Early College High School as well as Harris Elementary, Barbara Jordan and LBJ Early College High School.
"That's what we do on a daily basis, is building these relationships that truly matter. They build that trust so that they will come and talk to us, so that nothing like this will happen again, because we want to catch it before it gets to that point," said Kim Patton, also a co-executive director.
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Travis ECHS student found dead on campus
A junior at Travis Early College High School was found dead on campus this morning. Classes at the school were cancelled for the day as well as tomorrow, though the school will be open tomorrow to offer counseling.
The female student, who was a junior at the school, has not been publicly identified.
"I think it naturally causes us to reassess how we are supporting students. And for one campus to lose a student, it's our entire district. It's our community's loss," said Dr. Twyla Williams, executive director of Counseling Crisis & Mental Health at AISD. "My initial reaction was that our students are suffering, and we need to be available to help identify what their struggles are and to be able to address their mental health in a timely manner before they get to the place of feeling hopeless."
Dr. Williams said just this year the district added 14 new licensed mental health professionals, increased pay for school counselors and expanded mental health resources for employees.
To learn more about resources offered by AISD, click here.