West Hartford Mother Blasts School Officials Following Son's Suicide

WEST HARTFORD, CT — The mother of a Hall High School student who took his own life a year ago blasted the local school board Tuesday night for their response to her son's situation.

In emotional testimony during the West Hartford Board of Education's "audience of citizens" portion of the Sept. 2 meeting, Heather Schreiber outlined the tragic circumstances of her son Lukas Schreiber's suicide in August 2024.

She accused the school system and school board of not doing enough before her son's death, and in response to the tragedy.

Schreiber said her son took his own life on Aug. 9, 2024, at the age of 16, the summer before his senior year at Hall High School.

She said her son was investigated by school administration for bullying and was told he was going to lose his leadership position with the swimming and diving team.

Wearing a Hall High School Swimming & Diving sweatshirt Tuesday night, Schreiber ripped the school system probe of the alleged incident that prompted disciplinary action against her son.

She called it a "flawed investigation" based on incidents away from school and "hearsay, while verbal and physical attacks against Lukas were never investigated."

Schreiber said she and her son were called for a meeting with the Hall administration in July 2024, a meeting she attended alone because she said her son was too depressed.

She said the school system had what is called a "504 plan" in place to educate her son, a plan that took into account the depression her son was battling.

"I begged the principal not to take away Lukas's leadership position. I feared it would push him further into despair. The response was cold. Unless new evidence was presented, Lukas was to be found guilty. There would be no opportunity to come back when he felt better," she said at Tuesday's school board meeting.

Schreiber said she then reached out to the board of education for help after her meeting with Hall officials and before her son's death.

"You did not respond. Two weeks later, my children and I found Lukas' body," she said. "After his death, we requested a meeting with the board. We were told that wasn't policy and were instructed to reach out individually to you."

Schreiber said only four board members responded to her concerns.

"How can we as parents and taxpayers trust that you prioritize children's well-being, when you won't even respond to a grieving family desperate for answers?" she said Tuesday.

Prior to Tuesday's audience of citizens, West Hartford Board of Education Chairperson Lorna T. Farquarson said school boards are legally bound to refrain from individual student matters.

"The board of education is a policy-making body," Farquarson said Tuesday night. "We do not oversee individual students, staff members, or classroom matters. Those responsibilities fall to the superintendent and school administration."

Farquarson said school board members cannot publicly comment on individual student matters at a school board meeting.

"While we may not be able to respond here, concerns raised are taken seriously and are directed to the appropriate channels," Farquarson said before Schreiber's comments.

Schreiber, however, disagreed, saying her son's death should be the impetus for some sort of policy revision.

"So I ask you, in the year since Lukas, a student with documented, severe depression and suicidal ideation, died by suicide, what has been done?" Schreiber asked the school board.

According to Schreiber, "nothing has changed."

"A year has passed and there has been no meaningful protection or real action, just bureaucracy and silence," she said. "This is not just a tragedy for my family. It is a tragedy that could happen again. You have the power to change this now. I urge you to take responsibility before another child is lost."

Schreiber said teachers and staff should be retrained in suicide prevention, and school policies should include contingencies regarding students' mental health.

While the board of education that night did conduct a first-reading on a "restorative practices" policy regarding school system disciplinary actions, that fell short, according to Schreiber.

"What safeguards have been put in place to prevent students in crisis from being further traumatized?" she asked, with her testimony ending with applause from those at the meeting.

A second reading on the "restorative practices" policy will take place next month, with a vote possible.

Meanwhile, West Hartford school officials — in a release by West Hartford Superintendent of Schools Paul Vicinus — issued the following statement on Wednesday on the Lukas Schreiber situation:

"Due to federal and state privacy laws, the West Hartford Public Schools cannot comment on individual student matters. However, we continue to grieve the loss of Lukas, and our hearts are with his family during this incredibly difficult time. As a district, we remain committed to supporting both his loved ones and the broader Hall community as we navigate the pain of this unimaginable loss together."