2023                                                  7540

Students

 

SUBJECT:    SUICIDE

The District is committed to protecting the health and well-being of all students by creating and maintaining policies, procedures, and plans for the prevention, intervention, and post-intervention of suicide.

The Board instructs the Superintendent to establish a District crisis intervention team. Members of the team should include, but are not limited to, a school administrator, school psychologist, school counselor, school social worker, teacher, school nurse and/or District medical director, school safety
professional, and any other District staff member who can be of assistance during a crisis. The crisis intervention team will develop a suicide response plan which will be integrated into the existing District-wide school safety plan. The suicide response plan will include education and awareness of risk factors for youth suicide, procedures for intervening if a student exhibits risk factors, including referral services, and a post intervention plan to help the school and community cope with the aftermath of suicide should it occur.

The administration will inform staff of District policies, procedures, and plans for suicide prevention, intervention, and post-intervention. The District will actively respond to any situation where a student verbally or behaviorally indicates intent to attempt suicide or engage in self-harm. When District staff become aware of a student exhibiting potential suicidal behavior, they should
immediately escort the student to a member of the District’s crisis intervention team and report the behavior to an administrator.

Suicide prevention will also be incorporated into the curriculum, as developmentally appropriate, to educate students and done in a manner so as not to sensationalize the topic, but to provide students with information and resources on this important mental-health issue. In addition, the District will foster interagency cooperation that will enable staff to identify and access appropriate community resources to aid students in times of crisis.

The District will inform students, staff, and parents or guardians of the 988 hotline which connects callers to the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Individuals can call or text 988 to be connected to the hotline. The 988 hotline is intended for anyone who is: suicidal; experiencing a mental health or substance use-related crisis; or experiencing any kind of emotional distress.

Professional Development/Learning and Training

Staff training and professional development/learning on suicide and crisis intervention should be offered annually. The training should include: information on how to identify warning signs for suicide, and the protocols to follow when referring a student thought to be at risk for suicide; a description of the roles and responsibilities of the crisis intervention team; the flow of
communication and the tasks each role of the crisis intervention team undertakes; what educators can do to promote suicide prevention, including the promotion of positive mental health; how to handle suicide related topics in the classroom; and how to identify developmentally appropriate materials for classroom use, and school/community resources.

NOTE: Refer also to Policies:

• #3420 — Non-Discrimination and Anti-Harassment in the District
• #5681 — School Safety Plans
• #7550 — Dignity for All Students
• #7553 — Hazing of Students

 

Adopted:  9/13/22

Revised: 6/13/2023