Student mental health usually comes to the top of the national consciousness when there’s a school shooting, but the truth is that mental health for young people is a far deeper issue.

Almost all students who struggle with mental health will never take the lives of others, but they still need help. They may need support to overcome depression, anxiety or other mental health issues. This can help them better succeed in their schoolwork and in their future careers and to have more fulfilling interpersonal relationships with their family and friends.

That’s why it’s so important that the Virginia General Assembly passed legislation last session to require mental health education in the state’s public schools.

Suffolk Public Schools, which is usually ahead of the curve when it comes to new curriculum requirements passed down from lawmakers, is so once again. The division already had mental health as part of the 10th-grade curriculum, Assistant Superintendent Dr. Suzanne Rice said this week. This year, the division began supplementing it with the “More Than Sad” program.

Not just a curriculum for students, the More Than Sad program involved the community with several events open to the public, which featured a video and discussion open to students, educators, parents and others who work with young people.

It is now part of the curriculum in both eighth and 10th grades, and facilitators have made 92 presentations to a total of 2,469 people, with most of them being students, Rice said.

Nearly 500 staff members have also been trained to spot warning signs as well as to discuss the topics with students.

We sincerely hope this program continues to make a difference for our young people in Suffolk. Young adults and teens — and sometimes even younger children — are under more pressure than ever before, and it’s up to the community to come alongside the division and help support our young people.

We also call upon the Virginia Department of Education to get its curriculum on the streets as soon as possible for the benefit of students in other school divisions.