This morning a student announced in class that when he wrote his suicide note later, he would name me as the cause. I took him out into the hallway for a very tense conversation, where I explained (clearly, in the mom/teacher voice I am proud of) that it was incredibly rude, disrespectful, and inappropriate.
I don't care if it was a joke. I don't care if he thought he was being funny. His parents response? They laughed and said "Oh, he says stuff all the time for reactions. Just ignore him."
EDIT: I should have been clear in my post. He was not at all serious. Yes, I reported it. He was trying to be funny in front of his buddies. I had just given a big assignment in our Shakespeare unit, and this was his response to that. My frustration was with the idea that telling a teacher she is a reason to kill himself was "a joke".
IMPORTANT: Student is not in danger. I am not in danger. I do not need "Reddit Care" to contact me.