When I came back from working overseas a number of years I had a student who came to school one day high. I reported this to the principal and he shrugged it off. ("At least the kid is coming to your English class. Yours is the only class he is attending.")
One day, the kid brought a pistol to school. I knew it but I didn't want him to know I knew it. I saw the principal again. Once again the principal shrugged me off. ("Look, Bill. I am tired of your complaining about this kid. He isn't hurting anybody. I won't hear anything you are saying.") I left his office by telling him that if anyone is hurt, it will be his fault. He just smiled. ("OK, Bill. Ha ha ha!")
That afternoon, after I went home, the custodian came to my classroom to mop the floor. The kid went to that classroom when the custodian went for a smoke break. He shot him self in the head twice. (I didn't think it was possible.) The custodian called the police.
The next thing I knew, that principal was on administrative leave.
Where, when, and why this happened are not important. What is important is that this is a much different world than we had, even ten years ago.
Don't be so ready to blame the principal. Maybe I did complain too much. Actually, his secretary commented that the only complaint I had was about that kid. Maybe I complained about him too much. Maybe I should have tried to intervene in some way before it got to the gun.
Or not. I am not that familiar with drugs. I am familiar with firearms. The drugs I can handle but not the drugs with the firearms.
Anyway, it is sad another student saw the chicken way out of life by killing himself.