(KAIR)--Citing a crisis in the school district, the committee focused on the future of the Atchison High School mascot is postponing their upcoming meeting.

The workshop-styled session had been planned for Monday.

The announcement of the decision to postpone came Friday in an email addressed by School Board members Diane Liebsch and Sean Crittendon, who represent the school board on the committee.

The statement says the postponement “will allow all involved to attend to the issues facing our district's needs;” and while it's not specified in the statement, the reference to a “crisis” and “needs” apparently stems from the recent suicides of district students, and the impact that has had on the Atchison community.

Based on discussion in the Facebook group “AHS REDMEN 4-EVER,” formed to give voice to those with opinions about the high school's Redmen mascot, patrons of the district have raised concerns regarding the prioritizing of that matter in comparison to the issue of suicide, bullying, and other matters.

Discussion regarding the future of the mascot began in December of 2016, with MSC News reporting at that time that the district had received what Superintendent Dr. Susan Myers called “written communications pertaining to the use of the Redmen mascot” which led to the formation of the committee comprised of students from the high school and the middle school, district administration, community members, alumni, and Native American representatives, along with Liebsch and Crittendon.

The statement announcing the postponement of the meeting notes that the conversation about the mascot will continue later, with Monday's postponed meeting to be rescheduled.