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Red Wing board hears pitch for Hope Squad peer‑to‑peer suicide‑prevention program
Summary
At a Red Wing Public Schools board meeting, Liz McGill and Dr. Craig Morris described Hope Squad, a nationally used peer‑to‑peer program that trains students to spot anxiety and depression and refer peers to adult staff and community mental‑health providers; presenters requested space and access to student selection and said fundraising will cover program costs.
Liz McGill, a local organizer, told the Red Wing Public Schools board that Hope Squad is a peer‑to‑peer program in which trained students identify anxiety and depression in classmates and pass concerns to designated adults in the school. "Hope Squad is a peer to peer program in which students, our squad members, are trained to recognize anxiety and depression in their peers," McGill said. She said identified adults then connect families with community mental‑health providers such as Hiawatha Valley Mental Health and that teachers and squad members do not provide clinical services.
McGill described the program's structure and costs: she said a high‑school curriculum runs about $4,000 a year, community adults' training is roughly $400 per person, and Hope Squad includes ongoing weekly meetings and safeguards such as parental permission. "This will cost the Red Wing school system $0 every year, not 1¢," McGill said, explaining that her nonprofit board has pledged to fund the program’s expenses.
Dr. Craig Morris, who joined the presentation, framed the proposal with regional data and a national origin story for Hope Squad. Citing a February 2024 report from the Center for Rural Policy and Development, Morris said suicides in Minnesota and the United States rose after 2009 and stressed the particular challenges rural and semi‑rural districts face in connecting students to services. "What Hope Squad really represents is an opportunity to provide that intervention and then make sure that connection with clinical services can be afforded," Morris said.
Presenters asked the board to provide semi‑private meeting space for weekly squad meetings and annual permission to access student lists so peers can nominate squad members; McGill estimated Red Wing High School would need about 12–18 squad members per grade to sustain a high‑school program. They emphasized that identified adults, not student squad members, route concerns to professional mental‑health providers.
Board members asked clarifying questions about supervision and capacity; presenters said parental permission, adult oversight and weekly supervision are core components and that the nonprofit would cover startup and recurring costs. The board did not take formal action on the request at the meeting; staff indicated the presentation materials and contact information would remain available for follow up.
Next steps: presenters offered to share program materials and local data with the district and said they are prepared to coordinate training dates should the board approve staff facilitation and space access.
