Wellesley Public Schools on Friday joined numerous other areas schools in opening a dialogue with parents and guardians about a new Netflix series called “13 Reasons Why” that documents a teenage girl who takes her own life. Each episode of the drama deals with a different topic — bullying, depression, sexual assault and so on — that might have contributed to the teen’s death. The series is based on a 2007 young adult novel by Jay Asher.

WPS Superintendent David Lussier sent a memo on Friday in which he states:

“As a school district, we believe strongly that you, as parents and guardians, need to be aware of this Netflix programming. We suggest the following ideas for how you might engage your children in conversations about this series:

●Ask if your children have seen or heard about this series.

●If they have seen any episodes or clips, engage them in discussion about the subject matter and their feelings about it.

●If they have not seen any episodes or clips, preview it before you allow your children to watch it and consider watching it and discussing the series together.”

As the Boston Globe reports, schools in Brookline, Medway, Newton and Natick are among others in the area that have sent messages to families in their community’s about the Netflix program.

Like other area school districts, Wellesley has had students die by suicide and has attempted to address the issue in numerous ways. For more information on suicide awareness, visit Wellesley ACTS.