By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – The Marana school community is attempting to heal after a student died this week.
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The district is encouraging students to seek counseling, but statewide, experts say the number of counselors isn’t enough.
Marana police said the student broke into a school early Tuesday morning and died on campus. The school was closed for the day.
Parents, students, and teachers are navigating the tragedy, and school counselors are offering support. But experts said Arizona has the highest student-counselor ratio in the nation, ranking worst among the states.
Counselors offer more than college help
Marana USD Student & Family Support Services Director Cindy Ruich said counselors do more than help students apply to college.
“We have them teaching internet safety, suicide prevention lessons, all sorts of other things that we want to make sure kids know,” Ruich said.
The American School Counselor Association recommends one counselor for every 250 students. In Arizona, the ratio is more than double that recommendation, at one counselor per every 570 students.
“I worry that it’s possible kids are being missed,” Ruich said.
Ruich said ratios at Marana USD and Marana High School are better than the state average. She said in the wake of a student death, the community needs the support more than ever.
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Community reacts to the loss
Britte Stumm, President of the Marana Parent Partnership, has a daughter in her senior year at Marana High School. The family learned school was canceled by text Tuesday morning.
“Mostly just shocked, sad — sad for our community, for our high school, for our students, for our staff,” Stumm said.
“We’re talking about a student, a family, that the next day didn’t have a member of their family, and so to just keep that in mind and remember to be kind to each other,” Stumm said.
Ruich said the district is also focused on peer support during the aftermath.
“We do know in the counseling world that peers rely on peers, so you also try to educate the peer group, right,” Ruich said.
Marana USD said students should go to counselors if they need support.
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