Policy Components
Because of the need to have clearly written, up-to-date policies addressing suicide prevention and protocols, this column offers tips on what those policies and protocols should address.
1. Policy teams should include at least one school board member, the SBO, central office and building-level administrators, teachers, school counselors/ psychologists, and staff members from different levels of schools, as well as representatives of local mental health organizations, a faculty member from a nearby college or university who specializes in mental health for children, parents, a community representative, perhaps a high school student, and the board attorney.
2. Policies should establish clear procedures for students to follow when referring themselves or peers exhibiting suicidal behaviors for help. Protocols should include assurances of confidentiality for good faith reports, specify with whom reports should be made, timelines for doing so, and procedures for informing school families and the media following tragedies.
3. Because teenagers may be more comfortable sharing personal information with peers rather than adults, school-based suicide prevention programs should include students as team members to stress the importance of early detection and intervention for those expressing suicidal tendencies. Student members, like staff, should complete rigorous training to help those in need.
Such student-led activities can build general suicide knowledge and awareness while helping participants understand warning signs in their peers.
4. Policies should call for the creation of partnerships with community mental health agencies and suicide prevention coalitions to increase awareness of how to prevent student suicide; these sessions can be valuable because they can help build frameworks for suicide prevention and intervention.
5. Policies should mandate cooperation with local agencies to create school-community linkages to offer suicide awareness classes in addition to community-based professional support following suicides.
Protocols should include assurances of confidentiality for good faith reports, specify with whom reports should be made, timelines for doing so, and procedures for informing school families and the media following tragedies.
6. Policies should call for the creation of district- and building-level crisis teams to provide resources and services associated with suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention levels. Teams, which should consist of school counselors and psychologists plus professionals from community organizations, can develop prevention programs and complete risk assessments for students demonstrating suicidal behaviors.
7. Building-level educators should conduct assessments to determine the risk level and ensure that students can be referred for help. These universal, or tier 1, screeners may help identify students at risk of suicide or self-harm. Risk factors include talking about suicide, attempting suicide, unexplained sudden access to weapons, previous suicide attempts, and environmental stressors such as being bullied and experiencing problems at home.
8. Staff should be prepared to refer students promptly to suicide assessment team members such as school counselors and psychologists when they observe or are made aware of student suicidal behaviors.
9. Building-level educators should notify parents or guardians quickly and confidentially when making referrals, keeping in mind that their duty to ensure student safety means they cannot guarantee that they will keep all information confidential when students talk about committing suicide.
10. In the tragic event that a student is successful in attempting suicide, policies should ensure that crisis response procedures and teams are in place to provide support. Procedures should address such issues as who will communicate with the student’s family if the death occurred at school, how the information will be disseminated to students and staff, and who will serve as the single spokesperson for the media and public to ensure the accuracy of shared information.
11. Counselors should be available for individual students in the aftermath of a death in the school community. It would also be helpful to conduct large-scale gatherings and class discussions to discuss student and staff reactions and thoughts in the aftermath.
12. Counseling should also be available for students and staff on key days, such as the anniversary dates of a suicide as well as the student’s birthday, because these reminders can create additional stress.
13. Policies should specify that the goal of suicide response plans is to help restore a sense of normalcy in schools while caring for those in need. Teachers should be advised to lighten academic workloads on the days immediately following suicides to help ease staff and students back into the rhythm of daily routines.
14. Suicide prevention materials should be included in faculty, staff, and student handbooks and in information sent home to parents and posted on district websites. Materials should address common characteristics of grief in youth, along with tips for how parents can discuss suicide with their children.
15. District leaders should offer regular professional development sessions for all staff on suicide awareness and prevention focused on the warning signs and risk factors. As noted, students involved in peer-intervention programs should receive similar preparation.
16. All students should receive age-appropriate instruction about suicide prevention and awareness in health and other classes as well as in school assemblies.
Keeping Up to Date
Teams should review their suicide prevention policies regularly to ensure that they are in line with best practices for dealing with this challenging issue. It is best not to review policies immediately after incidents occur to allow some time to provide perspective on what was done well and what might need improvement.