Manhasset’s school board election this week is a matter of life and death. I am not exaggerating.

I’m writing after visiting friends in a prestigious Westchester County school district — one that’s remarkably similar to Manhasset. Four days ago, a student at their high school committed suicide.

Every parent in Manhasset seeks top-ranked academics and athletics. We generally avoid this subject, but we also know some students here need mental health services.

Incredibly, this year a small group of parents opposed Northwell Health’s offer to provide such services free for interested families.

Allison O’Brien Silva, running for the school board, isn’t afraid to say that we must watch out for our kids’ emotional well-being.

Many of us know Allison as a mother of three and a Girl Scout leader. She also has the financial acumen essential to any school board: A graduate of the Columbia Business School, she worked at McKinsey, the leading consulting firm.

Let’s all agree to model good behavior for our kids. Put simply: Stop spreading rumors. Nobody running for school board — nobody — wants to sneak Critical Race Theory into classrooms or recruit trans players to teams.

Using her McKinsey approach, Allison will make sure the school board listens to everyone. In her relentless optimism, she refuses to bad-mouth other candidates. Those of us who know her can say this: She has no conflicts of interest, no skeletons in her closets.

Watch the first few minutes of the League of Women voters candidate forum and see for yourself: Allison gives thoughtful, humble answers. She focuses on our kids — not petty politics, smear campaigns or vengeance.

On Tuesday, we need to turn out to the polls as if our children’s well-being depends on every vote. Just ask my friends in Westchester.

Dave Marcus,

Manhasset

Dave Marcus is the author of Acceptance (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt), a book about a school counselor in Oyster Bay.