Peabody To Launch School Mental Health Center After Student's Death

PEABODY, MA — The Peabody Department of Health and Social Services will launch a mental health center at Higgins Middle School following the death of a 14-year-old student last week, Mayor Ted Bettencourt said in a message to the community this weekend.

The effort is one of several in response to the death of the student, whom the family identified as Jason Bernard. Family members have publicly said Bernard took his own life after being bullied at the school.

"Words simply cannot express the level of pain and sadness we feel for the student’s family, friends, classmates, teachers and school staff," Bettencourt said this weekend. "I want to thank the countless Peabody residents who reached out to me to offer sympathy and support to the student's family, sentiments which I shared with them during his memorial service. I also want to thank so many who shared their personal stories as we cope with such a tragedy."

Bettencourt said plans are underway for a community-wide meeting focused on mental health, as well as workshops to provide additional tools to "help recognize a crisis and to respond to it quickly."

The mayor said the school center will be staffed by local mental health providers and counselors.

"Our goal is to have the center, as well as additional support services, operating by the beginning of the new school year," Bettencourt said.

Plans for the mental health services come as many in the community have expressed frustration and outrage at continued reports of bullying in Peabody Public Schools.

A Facebook group called "Peabody MA Parents Against Bullying" was started with a mission to "protect our kids, hold schools accountable, and demand a safer, more inclusive environment for every child."

"What's happening in our schools is heartbreaking," page organizer Ashley Doucette said. "Bullying is destroying lives, and too often, the people in power don't step up until it’s too late. I've seen what this does to kids — emotionally, mentally, and physically. And now, we’ve lost a child in our own community. Jason should still be here."

A Moveon.org Urgent Call for Anti-Bullying Legislation in Honor of Jason Bernard, urging state legislators to "take meaningful steps toward enacting stronger anti-bullying legislation in Massachusetts," garnered 6,815 signatures in one week as of Monday morning.

"No child should suffer to the point where they see no other way out," the petition from a group called Concerned Parents of Massachusetts said. "No parent should have to bury their child because we failed to act."

Petition sponsors said legislation should include:

• Clear definitions and accountability measures for bullying (including cyberbullying)
• Mandatory anti-bullying education in schools
• Required intervention training for teachers and staff
• Resources for mental health support for both victims and aggressors

"Let Jason's story not be in vain," the petition said. "Let it be the spark that ignites real change — so that no other child is lost, and no other family broken, by the consequences of unchecked bullying."

Peabody business owner Whitney Cardosi launched "We Stand Up For Peabody Youth" as a resource guide for support services, fundraisers and other community awareness events as "one way for those of us who may be a little further removed to channel our pain into action — to show up, speak out, and ensure that moving forward, all of our youth feel seen, supported, and safe during this incredibly fragile time."

The first open Peabody School Committee meeting since the student's death was scheduled for Tuesday night at 7 p.m. at Higgins Middle School.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)