RATHDRUM — Family and friends who lost loved ones to suicide have expressed concerns with the “Irreplaceable” docuseries being filmed in Lakeland schools this week.

Lakeland mom Harvest Klinge of Athol said it’s “opening old wounds.”

Klinge saw the Monday article in The Press and read how Chi Rho Films will be “going into the junior high and the high school and encouraging students to be ‘brave’’ and ‘courageous’ and talk about their experiences. This was the first time that I heard about it.”

“That’s not OK to me, going to children,” she said. “If you want to go to adults and say, ‘Hey we’d like to know more about this so we can help in the future in different areas,’ but why are they targeting the kids of our school? To me that’s not OK. We have kids that very recently lost someone, and they’re having to go through this.”

Her stepdaughter, a Lakeland Junior High seventh-grader, attended Friday’s assembly when the announcement was made.

“There were kids in there that started crying,” Klinge said. “They said they ‘don’t understand why they’re doing this, what is the point of this,’ and she said even a lot of her classmates are angry that they’re basically invading.”

Although Superintendent Becky Meyer and three Lakeland principals sent a notice to families on Jan. 28, Klinge said she did not see it.

“They sent out the letter to the parents, which I didn’t get, but they sent it out two days before they started doing this. No notification, no consideration for the families, didn’t reach out and say, ‘Hey, this is what we’re going to be doing, just so you know, your loved one’s name might be brought up, how do you feel about this, what are your thoughts,’” she said. “No concern for other folks, no concern for the community.

“Sharing the story of my son, that hurt. I didn’t stop crying all day yesterday,” she said. “Making him an example so that what, the whole United States can hear a story about my son? No that’s not OK. I’m not OK with that. I’m not OK with them sharing anybody’s story. It’s not theirs to tell.”

Klinge and a group of loved ones gathered in her kitchen Tuesday evening to express how this project has already struck a sensitive nerve. She lost her son, whose name she asked not be released, to suicide less than two years ago.

“It brings up so much more emotion, and that’s going to take so much more time to heal,” said close family friend Shellie Allen of Hayden. “It’s taken us a long time to heal, and even just thinking about this, it made me cry. That’s my concern — these kids, with all the things that have happened, you don’t want to make it OK. You definitely don’t want to shy it away, but they need that time to process and allow that maturity to happen with their families and friends. For strangers to come in and have that conversation, to prod, even if you’re just standing there asking questions, it’s still kind of like, ‘I feel obligated to say something.’ It’s not OK … It still brings it up. We’re still right there.”

Another close family friend, Christian Suko, said “it’s too early, considering the loss we just had in the community a couple weeks ago.”

“It’s too soon,” he said.

The goal of the docuseries, titled “Irreplaceable,” is “to save lives,” according to the notice that was sent to Lakeland families. No district funds are being used for this project.

“The docuseries will eventually be released internationally to assist with suicide awareness, education and training for schools, parents, and communities. Through a partnership with Real Life Ministries, as well as several private donors passionate about this topic, our district will be highlighted in the film,” the notice states, with the intention to explain the Sources of Strength suicide prevention program at Lakeland Junior High, “along with allowing students, staff and parents to share their stories so that others struggling with this topic can find help and support. By sharing different perspectives with a larger audience, we hope to help decrease suicides in communities throughout the world.”

The docuseries will have a student, parent and community component, and parent permission is required for inclusion in the project. Chi Rho producer Caleb Applegate said trained counselors sit in on the interviews, which are meant to be empowering and spread hope.

“We’re not giving names,” he said. “We’re not trying to pinpoint anybody, it’s not an expose.

“We’ve met with the district office, we’ve met with the principals, we’ve met with the counselors, we’ve met with the teachers and they’ve said, ‘We love these kids. These kids are hurting. People on our staff are hurting. We think it’s healthy and responsible to start the conversation,’” Applegate said.

“We want to help.”

Meyer said the district conducted research before launching this project, which is not about anyone in particular.

“My hope would be that everyone in the community would want to save as many lives as possible,” she said. “With students, it’s shown anyone who’s dealt with this before will tell you that not talking about it puts an elephant in the room.”

She said the district has worked very closely with parents to help this project reach as many students as possible,

“I am definitely not saying I can step into anyone’s shoes who has lived with the death of a child,” she said. “And we definitely are not doing it to open any old wounds.”