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DAVE SCHOOL WAS CANCELLED AT : LAKE MARY HIGH FOR TODAY, BUT GRIEF COUNSELORS WERE ON HAND FOR THOSE WHO FELT THEY NEEDED TO TALK. TODAY, SEMINOLE COUNTY’S SHERIFF WOULD NOT SAY WHERE THE 17-YEAR-OLD STUDENT, WHO WESH 2 NEWS IS NOT NAMING, OBTAINED THE GUN, BUT SAID HE’S CONFIDENT IN SCHOOL SECURITY ALREADY IN PLACE AND DOESN’T SEE METAL DETECTOR AS THE ANSWER. >> I DON’T KNOW THAT METAL DETECTORS IN SCHOOLS ARE PRACTICAL. I THINK HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT MENTAL HEALTH, BEING INVOLVED WITH OUR KIDS, TO MAK SURE IF THERE ARE MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES OR CHALLENGES -- DAVE THE SHERIFF SAYS HIS : INVESTIGATORS KNOW WHERE THE GUN CAME FROM, BUT ISN’T READY TO MAKE THAT PUBLIC. HE SAYS IT IS IMPORTANT FOR PEOPLE TO SAFEGUARD ANYTHING IN THEIR HOME WHICH COULD BE HARMFUL FOR CHILDREN. >> MAKE SURE THAT ALL DANGEROUS ITEMS, NOT JUST GUNS BUT DRUGS, ARE AWAY FROM PEOPLE WHO CAN DO HARM TO THEMSELVES OR OTHERS. DAVE THE SHERIFF STRESSED EARLY : ON, THE NEED FOR SERIOUS DISCUSSIONS ABOUT OVERALL MENTAL HEALTH AND DEPRESSION. >> SHE HAD BEEN GOING THROUGH HER OWN DEPRESSION AND HER OWN STRUGGLES, AND SHE HAD BEEN BAKER ACTED BACK IN DECEMBER. DAVE LEMMA ALSO SAID PEOPLE NEED : TO REALIZE THAT FOLKS DEALING WITH THESE ISSUES GOT TO WHERE THEY ARE THROUGH A COMPLEX SET OF CIRCUMSTANCES, SO GETTING TO A MORE POSITIVE PLACE IS NOT EASY OR QUICK. >> SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND MENTAL HEALTH IS NOT A SITUATION ABOUT TRYING TO MAKE THAT PEOPLE G

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Lake Mary High School was briefly placed on lockdown Wednesday morning after a student killed herself with a handgun on campus.Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said a 17-year-old junior shot herself in the school auditorium. The student asked to leave class to use the restroom around 7:45 a.m. A teacher reported hearing the gunshot about five minutes later. The school was immediately placed on a code red lockdown following the reports of a gunshot. School officials notified parents with a recorded call. Lemma said the girl's parents have been contacted by deputies. Lemma said it does not appear as though any students or faculty witnessed the girl's death. Investigators said they are looking into how the student got the gun and how she brought it onto campus. Parents were allowed to pick up their students after word of the incident began to spread across campus. School officials said classes for Thursday have been cancelled, but grief counselors will be available in the media center from 7 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Grief counselors will also be on campus from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Friday. Students who drove themselves to school were allowed to leave campus on an honor system.School officials said there will be no access to campus through the school's main entrance. The student suicide is the second at a Central Florida school in the past year and a half. In November of 2017 a 17-year-old student fatally shot himself at Lake Minneola High School. Family, friends and staff members are in a state of mourning.It's a sobering reminder that mental health can often be overlooked."It's incredibly important to have an open and honest conversation with your children about how they might be feeling about today," said Tara Sullivan, Central and South Florida area director for American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.Experts agree one of the most important things people can do is talk with their children.Suicide is the 10th leading cause of death in the United States.FIND HELP:A 24/7 toll-free number is 1-800-273-8255. Known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, it connects people to local crisis centers and has national backup centers to answer calls. USA Today has explained what happens when it's called and noted the service respects anonymity.Another 24/7 free service, Crisis Text Line, connects people with a real-life crisis counselor to help in the moment. Text HOME to 741741 from anywhere in the U.S. for support.