Dad who lost son to bullying visits Pittsburgh-area middle school to share his story
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) — The conversation in schools surrounding mental health continues to grow as more kids experience bullying in person and online.
On Friday, Pleasant Hills Middle School brought in a father who knows the impact firsthand to share a personal story of loss in hopes of teaching kids a lesson.
It was Oct. 7, 2003, when John Halligan got a call from his wife saying their son Ryan was gone.
"My life and my family's life will never ever be the same as it was before that day," John told the students.
Ryan was just 13 years old, a middle school student in Vermont, when he died by suicide.
"The pain never goes away when you lose a child," John said.
More than 20 years later, the emotions are still fresh, but John is turning his tragedy into something positive. In fact, it started shortly after Ryan's death.
He got laws passed in his son's name at the state level to protect other children and then began to speak at schools across the country. This time it was to sixth through eighth graders in Pleasant Hills on Friday.
"He was just a very sweet kid, and unfortunately, he got caught up in the typical meanness of middle school, and things got out of control pretty quickly, behind our back, because of technology," John said.
It was the early days of AOL and instant messaging, before social media. John said since that came about, the problem has escalated, but he's also recognized through the years the impact his presentation has on students.
"Children learn from a story much more effectively than they do just being lectured to about bad behavior," John said.
West Jefferson Hills School District Superintendent Dr. Janet Sardon said it all goes hand-in-hand with their programming.
"Kids need to know and understand that it's important, number one, to support one another, to two, keep a lookout for one another, and make sure that if they see or hear anything that might be difficult to report it to an adult," Dr. Sardon said.
For John, he hopes to send a message that you can always turn a bad situation into something good. It's one he learned from his teachers and that he'll continue to share in Ryan's honor.
"Don't ever believe for a second that you don't matter," John told the students.
If you or someone you know is in need of help you can call or text the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
