In yearbook, school forgot about student who took his own life

School districts walk a fine line when a student takes his/her own life, often saying nothing, acknowledging little in the belief that to talk about a student’s suicide leads to others. It’s one of the reasons why the fact suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people is a fact that surprises so many people.

By the end of a school year, the dead student has often been forgotten.

And that’s disturbed an Isanti County family, says KSTP.

Kaiden Kauffman, 12, took his own life in September. When the yearbooks came out last month, he wasn’t in it.

“It would have just been nice to have the kids write something in it,” his mother, Dawn Kauffman-Mace, said. “I called my friend, and I said ‘Hey Jamie, do you see a picture of Kaiden in the yearbook?’

The school principal said he forgot.

“He stated it was an oversight,” Kauffman-Mace said. “I felt as if Kaiden’s existence was erased and Kaiden mattered.”

Cambridge-Isanti Schools told KSTP it’s trying to come up with a solution.