The number of suicides among children in Kansas rose by 50 percent from 2016 to 2017, according to a report released by the Kansas State Child Death Review Board. The 32 Kansas youth who died by suicide in 2017 was up from 20 in 2016. The sharp increase from 2016 to 2017 continues a troubling trend in the youth suicide rate over the past decade. Kansas Attorney General Derek Schmidt says the continued rise in youth suicides depicted in the report is alarming, and the Legislature showed considerable foresight earlier this year in establishing a more-comprehensive state response.

In June 2018, the Youth Suicide Prevention Task Force was formed to survey efforts to reduce youth suicide and provide recommendations on further steps that could be taken. In May, the Legislature adopted several of those recommendations by creating the Kansas Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator to implement recommendations of the task force.