Student Services Executive Director Dr. Cotrane Penn said the district needs to be assessing tens of thousands of students yearly based on federal data.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The number of Charlotte-Mecklenburg students sharing suicidal thoughts nearly doubled over the last two years, and it's expected to rise again this school year, according to administrators.

District records show CMS completes the equivalent of 17 suicide risk assessments every school day, most recently documenting 3,056 assessments during the 2017-2018 school year. That number is up from 2,118 in 2016-2017 and 1,591 in 2015-2016.

Performed when kids show signs of suicide, the assessments are a chance to evaluate a student's mental health and provide resources, but the district admittedly isn't reaching enough kids.

Student Services Executive Director Dr. Cotrane Penn said the district needs to be assessing tens of thousands of students yearly based on federal data.

"It's still not high enough to capture the number of kids thinking about it," she said. "We are not assessing the vast majority of kids thinking about suicide."

According to Dr. Penn, the most recent federal youth risk behavior survey found 17 percent of Charlotte high schoolers seriously considered attempting suicide over the course of a year. The numbers are even higher for middle schoolers at 23 percent, she said. In both age groups, she said the equivalent of one out of 10 kids said they tried killing themselves.

In nearby Union County, April Quick still struggles with the loss of her daughter to suicide.

"Ash was definitely struggling longer than I realized," Quick said.

The teen's family caught some of the warning signs and initiated treatment, but those interventions could not stop Ash. Union County Schools, which Ash attended, doesn't track past suicide assessments but plans to in the future.

"You kind of, I guess, get to a point where you feel like nobody's listening, nobody's going to help you, nobody's going to do anything and you're kind of on your own, and I feel like Ash kind of felt that way also," she said. "I didn't feel like there was anything there, any resources available."

The mother applauded a Charlotte high school's efforts to make sure no one else ever feels that way. Hough High School administrators, teachers and students recently implemented a national program called "Sources of Strength."

Students like 17-year-old Ivy Montague are specially trained to listen to and support peers in need.

"You can tell me anything. I will never judge you," the high school senior said. "It's important to know that you have value and your momentary problem is not worth a final solution, and it will get better."

Ben Anderson is junior class president at Hough. The 16-year-old is also a source of strength.

"I feel comfortable with my mental health, and I feel like I'm in a place where I can help other students," he said. "I feel truly concerned about my friends."

Teacher Kortney Chinn leads the program after participating in a similar program when she was in high school. She said they're training parents as well to be sources of strength for their kids.

"We learned if (students) have a trusted adult within their family and within their school then that ultimately completely eliminates that risk (of suicide)," she said.

Hough Principal Dr. Laura Rosenbach is a supporter of the program.

"I think the biggest thing is we're talking about this stuff, and that it's okay to struggle. Everybody struggles," she said. "I think it's been a big change in the last year or two of acknowledging the importance of social and mental wellness. Hopefully, we're trying to prevent it before we get to this crisis situation."

Hough Counselor Dana Catchpole said Providence High School is also part of the Sources of Strength program. She hopes the student-led program will spread district-wide.

"We've seen an increase in stress, anxiety, students that are overwhelmed," she said. "A big reason why I like this program is because it touches all students."