A 16-year-old's suicide note blaming harassment by teachers at his school in the national capital and other such recent incidents, including the death of a nine-year-old at a Jaipur school hold up a mirror to the inadequate attention paid to the mental health needs of students. This is a critical failure, especially when pre-adolescents and adolescents choose the path of suicide and self-harm. While this requires action at all levels, a significant part of the problem is the lack of capacity and training among school staff, including teachers, to identify concerns and take mitigatory measures. This deficiency is exacerbated by insensitive callous handling or even active contribution, as alleged in the Delhi incident. Student suicide numbers paint an alarming picture as per the latest data (for 2023) from the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB), such deaths accounted for 8.1% of all the suicides in the country. Decadal trends (2013-2023) show student suicides rose faster than overall suicides in the country, underscoring the need for urgent intervention. There is a raft of scientific literature on the need for careful handling of young adults, adolescents and, increasingly, pre-adolescents.