. >> reporter: an anoka middle school teacher jefferson feitech is in crisis mode. >> it looks like she's got a friend who is in crisis and thinking about suicide. >> just now. >> just now. yeah. >> how often does this happen? >> it's about once a week. sometimes more. >> reporter: it turns out to be just one scare of many. >> just this morning i had another kid hospitalized. last week i had another kid hospitalized. >> for what? >> for getting so overwhelmed that suicide seems the only way out. >> feitech openly gay and he's the adviser for his school's gay-straight alliance. he says suicidal feelings are common among gay youth and those questioning their sexuality. in fact, studies since the 1990s consistently show gay and lesbian youth having suicide attempt rates at least twice that of their heterosexual peers. his school district anoka hennepin has been hard-hit. the question is -- what role does school climate really play. >> we need an answer to this question. >> reporter: this is the only minnesota school district we could find with a curriculum policy that bars teachers from taki