Alabama School Classes Missed By 600 Students After Suicide Notes Found In Restrooms

Nearly 600 students did not attend classes at the Hoover High School in Birmingham, Alabama, on Friday after suicide letters were found in restrooms earlier this week. The letters were reportedly identical and suggested that the writer was depressed and needed help.

The notes, in which the writer threatened to kill himself on the school campus Friday, were discovered Monday in the boys’ restrooms on all the three floors of the school building. The notes did not mention the use of any weapons or any intention to hurt somebody else. The police announced Thursday that they have identified the student who wrote the letter and are providing him help, the Associated Press reported.

"We believe this student likely acted alone and it's not appropriate at this time to judge his actions or behavior,'' Capt. Gregg Rector said, according to AL.com, a local news source, adding: "Our primary focus at this point, along with school officials, is to guide this young man and his family towards appropriate resources."

School spokesman Jason Gaston said that some of the students who were initially absent have checked in, but added that the absenteeism on Friday was unusually high. "Certainly many parents chose to keep students home because of the note found earlier this week - and we respect those decisions made by parents,'' Gaston told AL.com, adding: "We are so fortunate that a resolution was reached yesterday as a direct result of excellent investigative work on the part of the Hoover Police Department and Hoover H.S. Principal Don Hulin and his administrative team."

"This situation has been resolved and everyone's routine should be back to normal today. We've identified the person responsible and he's being dealt with appropriately,'' Gaston added.

In 2013, a student in Ohio committed suicide by shooting himself with a gun in front of his classmates in a classroom.