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The Board of School Committee is committed to protecting the health, safety and welfare of its students and school community. This policy supports federal, state and local efforts to provide education on youth suicide awareness and prevention; to establish methods of prevention, intervention, and response to suicide or suicide attempt (“postvention”); and to promote access to suicide awareness, prevention and postvention resources.  

A. District Suicide Prevention Plan and  Annual Review.  The Superintendent shall develop and provide to the Board for approval, a coordinated written District Suicide Prevention Plan (the “Plan”) to include guidelines, protocols and procedures with the objectives of prevention, risk assessment, intervention and response to youth suicides and suicide attempts. 

1. Specific Requirements for Plan Terms: The District Suicide Prevention Plan shall include terms relating to:

   1. Suicide prevention (risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, referrals) and response to in-or-out-of-school student suicides or suicide attempts (postvention, suicide contagion);

   2. Student education regarding safe and healthy choices, coping strategies, recognition of risk factors and warning signs of mental health disorders and suicide; and help seeking strategies;

   3. Training of staff, designated volunteers, and contracted personnel on the issues of youth suicide risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, response procedures, referrals, post-intervention and resources available within the school and community;

   4. Confidentiality considerations;

   5. Designation of any personnel, in addition to the District Suicide Prevention Coordinator and Building Suicide Prevention Liaisons, to act as points of contact when students are believed to be at an elevated risk of suicide; 

   6. Information regarding state and community resources for referral, crisis intervention, and other related information;

   7. Dissemination of the Plan or information about the Plan to students, parents, faculty, staff, and school volunteers;

   8. Promotion of cooperative efforts between the District and its schools and community suicide prevention program personnel;

   9. Such include such other provisions deemed appropriate to meet the objectives of this Policy (e.g., student handbook language, reporting processes, “postvention” strategies, memorial parameters, etc.).

2. Annual Review:  Yearly, the Superintendent, in consultation with the District Suicide Prevention Coordinator and Building Suicide Prevention Liaisons and Chief Equity Officer with input and evidence from community health or suicide prevention organizations, and District health and counseling personnel, shall update the District Suicide Prevention Plan, and present the same to the Board for review.  Such Plan updates shall be submitted to the Board in time for appropriate budget consideration.

B.      Crisis Team Coordinator and Members.

1. Crisis Response Team. Each building will have a Crisis Response Team, who, under the direction of the Superintendent shall be responsible for:

   1. developing and maintaining cooperative relationships with and coordination efforts  between the District and community suicide prevention programs and personnel;

   2. annual updating, as needed, of (i) State and community crisis or intervention referral intervention information, and (ii) names and contact information of Crisis Team Members, for inclusion in student handbooks and on the District’s website;

   3. developing or assisting individual teachers with the development of age appropriate student educational programing, such that all students receive information in the importance of safe and healthy choices and coping strategies, recognizing risk factors and warning signs of mental disorders and suicide in oneself and others, and providing help-seeking strategies for oneself or others, including how to engage school resources and refer friends for help;

   4. developing or assisting in the development of the annual staff training required under section C of this policy;

   5. Such other duties as referenced in this Policy or as assigned by the Chief Equity Officer.

2. District Suicide Prevention Coordinator.  The Superintendent shall appoint a District Suicide Prevention Coordinator, who, under the direction of the Chief Equity Officer shall be responsible for:

   1. developing and maintaining cooperative relationships with and coordination efforts between the District and community suicide prevention programs and personnel;

   2. annual updating of (i) State and community crisis or intervention, referral intervention information, and (ii) names and contact information of Building Suicide Prevention Liaisons, for inclusion on the District’s website;

   3. collaborate with building liaisons on the developmnt and implementation of age appropriate student educational programming, such that all students receive information in the importance of safe and healthy choices and coping strategies, recognizing risk factors and warning signs of mental health disorders and suicide in oneself and others, and providing help-seeking strategies for oneself or others, including how to engage school resources and refer friends for help;...."

   4. developing or assisting in the development of annual staff training required under section C of this policy;

   5. Such other duties as referenced in this Policy or as assigned by the Chief Equity Officer.

3. Building Suicide Prevention Liaison.   The School Counselor, or, in his/her absence, other mental/behavioral health provider appointed by the building principal, shall be designated as the Building Suicide Prevention Liaison, and shall serve as the in building point-of-contact person when a student is believed to be at an elevated risk for suicide.  Employees who have reason to believe a student is at risk of suicide, or is exhibiting risk factors for suicide, shall report that information to the Building Liaison, who shall, immediately or as soon as possible, establish and implement a response plan.The Building Principal and/or other necessary staff (ie: Nurse, Social Worker, Behavioral Health Counselor etc.) will be notified immediately or as soon as possible about the concern and the response plan. The District Suicide Prevention Coordinator will be notififed as necessary, per the response plan protocol.

C.     Annual Staff Training.  The Superintendent shall assure that beginning with the 2020-21 school year, all school building faculty and staff, designated volunteers, and any other personnel who have regular contact with students, including contracted personnel or third-party employees, receive at least two hours of training in suicide awareness and prevention.  Such training will incorporate the input and evidence from community health or suicide prevention organizations that was used to develop this plan, and may include such matters as youth suicide risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, intervention, response procedures, referrals, and postvention and local resources. 

D.    Dissemination.  The District’s Wellness website will be updated each year with the contact information for the Building Suicide Prevention Liaisons, State and community crisis or intervention referral intervention resources.  The District Suicide Prevention Plan will be made available on the District’s Wellness, and each school’s respective websites. 

District Policy History: 

Adopted 8.10.2020              

District revision history:

Legal References:  

RSA 193-J: Suicide Prevention Education

Legal References Disclaimer: These references are not intended to be considered part of this policy, nor should they be taken as a comprehensive statement of the legal basis for the Board to enact this policy, nor as a complete recitation of related legal authority. Instead, they are provided as additional resources for those interested in the subject matter of the policy 

Other Resources:

• The New Hampshire Department of Education’s Bureau of Student Wellness, Office of Social and Emotional Wellness (OSEW), provides resources and technical assistance to school districts to work collaboratively with their community to respond to the needs of students through a multi-tiered system of support for behavioral health and wellness.

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP)

• Suicide Prevention Resource Center

• The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

• The Trevor Project

History:

First Reading at Policy Committee: August 8, 2020

Second Reading & BOSC Adoption: August 24, 2020