Please tune into the Jessie Frees Show this Sunday, April 2nd, at 10 am on WMTR to hear state Senator Vin Gopal (D-11), chair of the state Senate Education Committee.

Senator Gopal reports his findings from a hearing he oversaw earlier this month on how New Jersey can better support young people suffering from depression and battling everything from social media bullying and gang violence to the ongoing throes of pandemic fallout.

Susan Tellone, Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide, on March 2nd told Senator Gopal’s Education Committee, “Our students are in crisis.”

In the aftermath of Adriana Kuch’s February suicide, Tellone spoke at the invitation of the committee in response to the significant uprise in teen suicide, especially among girls.

“Whatever we decide to do we need to think about what works in schools,” Tellone told the committee.

“The U.S. suicide rate among 15-to-24-year-olds grew by 7% in 2021, according to preliminary data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,” according to a report in NJ.com. “And several New Jersey hospital networks reported their emergency rooms were flooded in 2022 with anxious, depressed and suicidal teens.”

“I’ve never seen it like this [in 40 years in the profession as a nurse],” Tellone said.

A legendary New Jersey broadcaster, Ms. Frees – joined by InsiderNJ Editor Max Pizarro – asks

Senator Gopal the questions you want to hear answered on this critical issue.

The Senator addresses pending legislation, including bills that would make it a crime to film an attack; the broadening of language to target anyone who might be the victim of bullying, not simply minorities; and a requirement by school districts to report all school grounds assaults to local law enforcement.

Tune in to 1250 AM to hear the InsiderNJ-sponsored show or listen online here.

Widely regarded as a political star, the youngest elected official in the New Jersey Senate, and a former chairman of the Monmouth County Democratic Committee, Gopal won his first district-wide race in 2017 and won a close reelection contest in 2021.