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Local resident urges schools to promote 741741 text line, cites high county suicide rate
Summary
Gordon Clay told the board the county is among the state’s highest for suicides per 100,000 and promoted the 741741 crisis text line as a youth‑focused alternative to 988, emphasizing its AI triage and texting advantages.
Community member Gordon Clay addressed the board during public comment to press for broader awareness of crisis text resources and to highlight local suicide statistics.
Clay said the county ranked fifth in the state for suicides per 100,000 and that, "so far this year through August, we are at that number already," calling suicide prevention a continuing priority. He contrasted that with the 988 crisis number and described the 741741 crisis‑text service as "tremendously better" for youth because it was built for texters and uses AI to triage urgent conversations.
Clay described how the 741741 system draws on millions of previous conversations to assist counselors with up‑to‑the‑minute suggested prompts and to identify high‑risk signals — including particular emoji usage — that can signal imminent risk and trigger faster response. He said he brought informational cards to share with the district and encouraged schools to make the number available to students who have cell phones.
Board members thanked Clay for the presentation and for bringing printed materials for school distribution. No formal board action was taken; Clay's remarks were recorded as public input.
