An Apology and Clarification

Suicide is a tragic situation, especially when it involves a young person. There are many causes and it is impossible to know exactly what caused it. I just want to tell the family of the student who committed suicide that I am very sorry I may have caused them more pain and stress with the blog on HuffingtonPost. I have removed the blog. I am sorry for all of us in the Palo Alto community, especially those at Gunn High School who are suffering this loss.

I want to make it clear that I never intended to accuse the parents of being unloving parents or create more problems for them or for the school community. I regret that they interpreted it that way. The letter I included was written by a girl at Palo Alto High who was writing about her own struggles; it is representative of the struggles of many of the students in high-performing districts in the US. The problem is not isolated to Palo Alto. It is something we need to work on as a nation.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255 for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.