6th-Grader Suicide -right way to deal with classmates?

[Aliantha]

We just talked to our big boys about this issue and apparently there are kids at their school who've tried to hyperventilate in order to pass out. They said that as far as they know, no one actually strangles themselves, but I was surprised that it's common enough for it to be common knowledge among the students.

I'm glad you posted this monster; otherwise I'd never have asked my kids about it.

[Stormieweather]

I think I would be a bit doubtful of the "rumors". I've seen how rumors can fly around a middle or high school and become "fact" faster than the speed of light. There may very well be things about the death that the kids (and you) do not know.

My neice died last year. She was 22, in good health, a year clean (off drugs). Her mother came home and found her lying on the floor, turning blue. She did CPR and held her daughter while she died. The autopsy showed nothing. And yet, she is still dead. When people ask how she died, what do you say? Some people suspect suicide, others think drugs...in spite of there being no evidence of either. Do you go through the entire story over and over to explain what you don't know? Or do you just ask people to leave it alone?

I'm just sayin...