KyleCares Foundation and The Jed Foundation have enrolled three high schools in Massachusetts as part of the JED High School Program to improve mental health and prevent suicide among teens including Millis High School, North Attleboro High School and Attleboro High School. 

The three schools join Medway High School which currently participates in the program.  

As students are getting back to school and observing Suicide Prevention Awareness Month [in September], JED will begin working with the schools to develop long-term strategies surrounding student mental health. The program will also provide schools with funding and resources to strengthen their behavioral health system and is dedicated to helping schools evaluate and build out their students’ mental health, substance misuse, and suicide prevention programming and systems. 

As students are returning to in-person schooling and are faced with uncertainty amid the surging Delta variant, research reports that one in four youth globally are experiencing clinically elevated depression symptoms, while one in five youth are experiencing clinically elevated anxiety symptoms. Mental health programs supported and provided by KyleCares and JED are needed now more than ever. 

“The power of The Jed Foundation and KyleCares together has made an immediate impression on Millis High School,” said Millis Public School Superintendent Robert Mullaney. “KyleCares has consistently and effectively assisted Millis High School as we address suicide prevention and the mental health and wellness of our students, and we are excited to begin our work with JED High School to help us support our students as they navigate the many social and emotional challenges they face every day.”

“KyleCares aims to connect schools with valuable mental health resources, facilitate conversation around long-term strategies, and fund mental health and suicide prevention programs,” said KyleCares President and Co-founder Jim Johnson. “Our partnership with JED allows us to confidently lead every conversation by first recommending JED’s evidence-based approach as a critical, impactful roadmap for high schools to follow.” 

“We are excited to partner with KyleCares to help high schools better support the mental health of students in the Massachusetts area as they return to school,” said JED CEO John MacPhee. “Having a local partner on the ground like KyleCares will allow us to protect more youth in the Massachusetts and Rhode Island area.”

About KyleCares Foundation

KyleCares is a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting open and honest communication about the mental health challenges experienced by teens and young adults in today’s society. The foundation aims to eliminate student self-harm and suicide by creating school environments where students and their caregivers have the confidence and support to seek help without shame or hesitation. For more information about KyleCares, please visit kylecaresinc.org.