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Family urges mental‑health action, plans community rally after 2024 student suicide
Summary
A Dorchester 2 parent and community member criticized district inaction on bullying and mental health and announced a free rally for bullying prevention and suicide awareness scheduled for Sept. 13.
Jason Brockert used the public‑comment portion of the board meeting on Sept. 8 to call for more urgent attention to student mental health and to invite the community to a free rally.
Brockert said he first raised concerns about bullying and the district’s response in December 2022 and that his family’s child, Julian, died by suicide in May 2024. “Since the official systems are not moving in with the urgency that this crisis demands, the community must,” Brockert said. He noted that Sept. 8 is the federal 988 day and the meeting fell during National Suicide Prevention Month.
Brockert encouraged district staff, teachers, students, bus drivers and families to attend a public rally he organized for Sept. 13 focused on bullying prevention, mental health awareness and suicide prevention and said the event is free and open to the public. He also noted district employees told him some staff fear job consequences for participating in community events and said the district cannot take punitive action for lawful community participation outside school roles.
Board members did not take action during the meeting in response to the public comment; the speaker was recognized during the public‑comment segment.
