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According to Birdville ISD Code of Conduct (2020), the campus behavior coordinator or other administrator work closely with the campus threat assessment safe and supportive school teams to implement the district’s threat assessment policy and procedures (Birdville ISD Code of Conduct, 2020).

Reference:
Birdville ISD. (2020). 2020-21 Student Code of Conduct. https://www.birdvilleschools.net/cms/lib/TX01000797/Centricity/Domain/4337/CodeofConduct_2020-21_ADA.pdf

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I hope to become a high school counselor. When it comes to suicide, a school counselor is the first person a teacher or administrator goes to when they suspect a student is suicidal. School counselors are also responsible for training and providing the staff with step by step procedures in dealing with suicidal students. My hope is that through this legal guide, I can help support teachers and other counselors in assisting students that may be suffering with suicidal thoughts. It will give them an overview of how to ethically and appropriately handle students with suicidal thoughts or threats. I chose this topic in hopes that teachers and other counselors can better assist and intervene with students dealing with thoughts of suicide.

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1. Mrs. Penry stated that "suicide is the second leading cause of death for adolescents" (personal communication, July 6, 2021) and has become a public health concern in the United States. In addition, certain groups of students are more at risk for suicide than others. School counselors have an ethical obligation to protect their students and are in an ideal position to educate students and staff about the risks and warning signs of suicide.

2.  Mrs. Penry discussed three best practices in her field related to suicidal students. She said she always makes sure that the parents/guardians of the student with suicidal ideation knows what is going on. Mrs. Penry also mentioned the importance of familiarizing yourself with district protocols for dealing with suicidal students as well as attending regular professional development concerning suicide (H. Penry personal communication, July 6, 2021).

3.  The number of students who have access to phones, internet and computers is rapidly growing. The internet and social media can influence suicide-related behavior. Students with suicidal ideation could use the internet as a tool to gain knowledge about suicide or how to cause self-harm. Counselors may be able to make positive interventions by providing information about websites that support suicide prevention. Students may also need to seek offline counselling if having access to the internet is a problem (H. Penry personal communication, July 6, 2021).

4. On Tuesday, July 6, 2021 I interviewed Heather Penry, a counselor at North Ridge Middle School in Birdville Independent School District.

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The American School Counselor Association, ASCA, provides counselors with resources that help support their comprehensive school counseling programs. This document includes policies and best practices for school districts to follow in order to protect the health and safety of students. It is important that schools have policies and procedures in place in order to prevent, assess, intervene and respond to students who have suicidal thoughts or behaviors (American School Counselor Association, 2019).

Reference:
American School Counselor Association. (2019). Model school district policy on suicide prevention. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/9b28c170-607a-428f-9dae-619850fa531b/Model-School-District-Policy-Suicide-Prevention.pdf

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Since the pandemic, schools are seeing more incidents of suicide.

There was a 250% increase in student suicide risk over a year at an Indianapolis hospital.

Psychiatrists and other doctors who work with children say the pandemic has created a "perfect storm of stressors for kids" (Chatterjee, 2021). This is increasing the risk of suicide. The suicide rates were already high for almost a decade among children and youth.

Now, many mental health providers are viewing this as an opportunity to innovate the services they provide to students to meet them where they are.

Reference:
Chatterjee, R. (2021, February 2). Child psychiatrists warn that the pandemic may be driving up kids' suicide risk. NPR.
Retrieved from https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/02/02/962060105/child-psychiatrists-warn-that-the-pandemic-may-be-driving-up-kids-suicide-risk

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For ways to help kids at risk, read Part 2 of this story.
If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (en español: 1-888-628-9454; deaf and hard of hearing: dial 711, then 1-800-273-8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

Anthony Orr was almost done with his high school coursework when the governor of Nevada ordered a statewide shutdown of nonessential businesses on March 17, 2020.

"He was looking forward to all of the senior activities, prom and graduation," says his mother, Pamela Orr. But all he got was a "mini [graduation] ceremony," with only a handful of students walking, wearing masks and at a distance from each other.

"That was the most we could do because of COVID," she says.

Anthony graduated with honors as he had planned to, wearing a white robe and cap and an advanced honors sash, says Pamela. But he decided against going to college.

"Right now ... it's all online, and you just lose the whole college experience," she says.

Instead, he got a job working in construction. His parents thought he was doing fine. "He seemed happy to us," says Pamela. "He seemed happy."

But in August of last year, Anthony died by suicide.

While Pamela and her husband, Marc, struggle to come to terms with their loss, his school district in Las Vegas is trying to come to grips with the troubling statistic his death is part of.

He was one of 19 students who died by suicide in the district since the shutdown last March. Thirteen of those deaths occurred since July.

"There's a sense of urgency," says Jesus Jara, the superintendent of the Clark County School District. "You know, we have a problem."

Suicide is complex, involving layers of risk factors, including biological and environmental ones. And it's hard to know the exact factors involved in the deaths of these 19 students.

But the sudden rise in deaths has school district officials worried that the coronavirus pandemic may have played a role. And educators and mental health care providers in other parts of the United States have the same concern.

In recent months, many suicidal children have been showing up in hospital emergency departments, and more kids are needing in-patient care after serious suicide attempts.

"Across the country, we're hearing that there are increased numbers of serious suicidal attempts and suicidal deaths," says Dr. Susan Duffy, a professor of pediatrics and emergency medicine at Brown University.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, between April and October 2020, hospital emergency departments saw a rise in the share of total visits that were from kids for mental health needs.

Now, there are no nationwide numbers on suicide deaths in 2020 yet, and researchers have yet to clearly link recent suicides to the pandemic. Yet on the ground, there's growing concern.

NPR spoke with providers at hospitals in seven states across the country, and all of them reported a similartrend: More suicidal children are coming to their hospitals - in worse mental states.

"The kids that we are seeing now in the emergency department are really at the stage of maybe even having tried or attempted or have a detailed plan," says Dr. Vera Feuer, director of pediatric emergency psychiatry at Cohen Children's Medical Center of Northwell Health in New York. "And we're admitting to the hospital more kids than usual because of how unwell they are."

She has seen a slight increase in 10-to-11-year-olds attempting, but the majority of kids she sees are teenagers.

Other places are seeing a rise in 2020 numbers compared with 2019 as well.

The number of kids with suicide attempts coming to the emergency room at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland, in California, in the fall of 2020 was double the number in the fall of 2019, says Marisol Cruz Romero, a psychologist and the coordinator for the hospital's behavioral emergency response team.

At Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis, the number of children and teens hospitalized after suicide attempts went up from 67 in 2019 to 108 in 2020. And October 2020 saw a 250% increase in these numbers over the previous October, says Hillary Blake, a pediatric psychologist at the hospital.

Psychiatrists and other doctors who work with children say the pandemic has created a perfect storm of stressors for kids, increasing the risk of suicide for many. It has exacerbated an ongoing children's mental health crisis - suicide rates had already been going up for almost a decade among children and youth.
Suicide can be prevented, and family members can play a role in keeping kids well. For ways to help kids at risk, Loss of critical in-person support services read Part 2 of this story.
The problems brought on by the pandemic, they say, only highlight the weaknesses in the mental health safety net for children - and point to an urgent need for new solutions.

"The stories that we hear day by day in the emergency department really speak to us about the level of difficulties, the layers of traumas and the real problems that families are facing," says Feuer.

Many young people, like Anthony Orr, have no diagnosis or known history of mental illness when they start struggling with thoughts of suicide.

But the children who are most vulnerable right now, says Duffy, are the ones with underlying physical or mental illness, because the pandemic has disrupted in-person services they relied on in communities and at school.

"They have difficulties with their mood or difficulties with learning or socialization or medical issues," says Feuer. "And now you have other layers of difficulties on top of that. These are the kids we see in real hopeless moments."

Before the pandemic, many of these children were "relatively stable in the community with outpatient resources," says Duffy.

For example, Duffy saw a 13-year-old in her ER recently who had underlying anxiety and depression. The at-home and in-school services she relied on had been suspended.
Falling off the radar
Without those supports, her mental health worsened and she started to fall behind at school, says Duffy. The girl turned to self-harm and eventually attempted suicide.

"It was her [older] teenage sister who found her in the bathroom and who called their mother, who had to leave work," says Duffy.

Feuer recalls seeing a 14-year-old last fall who began to struggle at school after developing a medical issue that hadn't been properly diagnosed because of pandemic-related delays in care. He was in constant pain and couldn't focus on schoolwork, she says.

On top of that, the pandemic had taken away his access to sports, "which was his world and life," says Feuer. "And then he looks at you and says, 'What's the point? What do I have to look forward to? You tell me, what do I have to be hopeful about?' "

Another layer of risk right now is that virtual schooling has made it much harder for teachers and school counselors to identify and help students who are struggling.

When Nevada shut down last March and the Clark County School District switched to virtual learning, Colleen Neely, a counselor at Shadow Ridge High School, on the outskirts of Las Vegas, tried her best to stay connected with her students by email.

But it wasn't as easy as being in the school together, she says.

"There are just extra barriers," says Neely. "We're not there just in passing, or they can't go to their teacher and be like, 'Hey, I want to see my counselor.' They can't stop in at lunch. They have to make that effort with an email or clicking on a computer to make an appointment."

In May, Neely's supervisor called her to give her the news that one of her favorite students had died.

"He was a smart ... shy kind of kid," says Neely. "Very kind, polite and respectful."

She was used to seeing him every day as he would stop by her office to check in. She says he had been homeless for a while and had some emotional struggles too. The school had eventually found him a family to live with.

And he'd been doing really well when the school switched to virtual learning, says Neely.

"He was passing all of his classes, going to earn the highest-level diploma that we offer at our school. So he was in a really good place," she says.
Social isolation
She was devastated to hear that he'd taken his own life.

"I'd just sent him an email, telling him how proud I was of him," Neely says. "And that he was almost there. And the next phase of his life was going to start."

Neely doesn't know the exact circumstances that led to his death. But she knew he was at risk because of his past struggles. And she wonders if someone could have helped him if the pandemic hadn't upended everything.

"Part of me will always question, if we had been in the building - and if he had been able to just see another adult, his friends, possibly talk to me - if things would have been different."

Losing the in-person interactions of life at school is itself a big risk factor.

"The vast majority of my patients want to go back to school, miss the social contacts, miss the life that they have," says Dr. Richard Martini, a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the University of Utah. "I mean, these kids really do have a separate life in school that's important to them."

It's among the reasons that the American Academy of Pediatrics is encouraging school districts to aim to bring back students into classrooms safely.
New kinds of stress at home
"There's a level of social isolation for these kids ... that they have not experienced before," Martini adds.

That isolation isn't just because schools are closed but also because the pandemic has restricted people's social lives. And that has a big impact, especially for kids in communities where extended family networks matter a lot, like where Romero, of UCSF's Oakland Children's Hospital, works.

"Many of our patients that do have a mental health history, they really depend on extended family to be able to support them," she says. "And that's been really challenging lately."

And social isolation is "one of the highest risk factors," for suicide, she says.

Amid the upheaval of the pandemic, the home environment has become unstable for many kids, says Martini, pointing to job and income loss as major stressors.

Especially vulnerable are kids from families hit hardest by the pandemic among communities of color.

"Either they had the virus, they lost people to the virus or they're impacted because they are a minority and their community ... [has suffered] losses over losses," says Feuer.

Dr. Warren Ng, a child psychiatrist at Columbia University Medical Center, says one of his patients, a boy, told him he wanted to die after watching his father die from COVID-19.

Romero also recalls suicidal kids she has seen recently who have lost family members to the virus or have parents who are currently sick and hospitalized.

"Families who have lost family members, parents who have lost jobs, kids who have lost contact with people who are close to them, children who have experienced some significant challenges at school," says Martini. "All of these experiences are fairly traumatic."
Suicide can be prevented, and family members can play a role in keeping kids well. For ways to help kids at risk, Thinking about prevention read Part 2 of this story.
A child faced with these layers of difficulties can easily start to feel overwhelmed, he says.

"They may also be in a position where they feel they can't talk to anybody, even their parents," he says. "And as the number of solutions for that situation dwindle, they may begin to think that I'd rather be dead than sort through this."

Especially when there is so much uncertainty around when the pandemic will end.

"I think it's the coupling of those things that are pretty daunting for a lot of our youth," says Dr. Nasuh Malas, a psychiatrist and pediatrician at the University of Michigan. "I mean, these are kids, right?"

In Clark County, the school district is grappling with what it can do to prevent more suicides. Last July, it started using a software that alerts staff when it identifies at-risk students by monitoring their online activity. The staff then contact parents and offer support.

"We're trying to find kids that are just the 'silent screamers,' " says Jesus Jara, the district superintendent.

In October, the district hosted a series of listening sessions with parents and other stakeholders to try to understand what's going on with student mental health and how to help. Based on the feedback it received, it is in the process of bringing some kids back to in-person school in small groups for academic and social and emotional support.
A crisis, but also an opportunity
Nearly six months since their son died, Marc and Pamela Orr are still struggling to cope with their trauma and grief.

"Sleep is elusive," says Pamela. "Any time can be a hard time. I mean, I can be in the grocery store, and I see his favorite breakfast cereal, and I just have to stop what I'm doing and just leave because anything, everything can be a trigger for the intense sadness."

To cope, she and her husband go on long walks every day. They are also seeing a therapist for the first time and talking to other parents of youth who died by suicide. And in the process, they find themselves asking questions about suicide and mental health that they'd never asked before.

For example, why don't schools and workplaces talk more openly about mental health and suicide?

"At work, we have all these tools - hard hats, gloves and glasses" to safely work with electricity, says Marc, who's a crew foreman for NV Energy. "We have nothing for mental health. ... It's not talked about. Everybody turns a blind eye to it because it's taboo, it's icky."

He also wonders why schools don't have mental wellness checks for students. "They get well-checks, you know," he says. "Insurance pays for a well-check. But there's not any mental [health] screening that's done or emotional screening."

The rise in mental health problems among children should spur the country to fix its mental health care system, argues Dr. Jennifer Havens, a child and adolescent psychiatrist at New York University.

"Crisis is often an opportunity," she says.

To start, the U.S. should provide routine mental health checks for kids from a young age and their families, she says: "It should be just part of what we do to keep people well."

Hospitals and behavioral health care providers are already required to do depression screenings for adolescents, she says; schools should also be doing these screenings.

"We have to be able to identify the kids ... particularly for getting kids who are in early stages before they're really sick, and help them," says Havens. "You don't have to wait until kids try to kill themselves."

And mental health care providers can help teachers learn to spot the early signs of problems, says Martini.

The solutions aren't just at schools. We also need better access to mental health care services for kids, says Martini.

"There is an incredible backlog in getting children mental health services," he says. "If I had all the money in the world, I think what I would do is really invest in a broad scope of services for teenagers and children."

Those services would include day treatment programs that are less intense than in-patient units and can diagnose a child's problems. He would also expand access to telepsychiatry and create more programs that send mental health care workers into people's homes.

But the biggest roadblock in making all this a reality is a lack of parity in insurance coverage for mental and physical health, says Havens.

"There are a lot of preventive interventions that are effective," she says. "But the way the [mental health care] system is set up, we can't actually get paid to do that."

Ultimately, the country needs to invest in kids' mental health, she adds. But, "there's no magic bullet here," she says. "We need to have a robust [mental health] care system ... and insurance companies need to pay for it."

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Child Psychiatrists Warn That The Pandemic May Be Driving Up Kids' Suicide Risk

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For ways to help kids at risk, read Part 2 of this story . If you or someone you know may be considering suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 (en español: 1-888-628-9454; deaf and hard of hearing: dial 711, then 1-800-273-8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741.

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The city of Spanish Fork came together to combat mental health and wellness to provide schools in the Nebo School District with a suicide prevention program.

A teen in the community and a member of the Youth City Council took their lives

The grant provided $225,000 for the community to show how they would promote mental health awareness.

The community formed support groups, implemented gatekeeper trainings, reduced access to lethal means, increased broad postvention efforts and reduced barriers to care.

Through the city's implementation of trainings, education, and providing support to their members they began seeing a positive change in their community.

Reference:
Brown, A. (2020). Spanish fork implements suicide prevention efforts as part of a citywide wellness initiative. Daily Herald. Retrieved from https://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/south/spanish-fork/spanish-fork-implements-suicide-prevention-efforts-as-part-of-citywide-wellness-initiative/article_8c8cba4a-7ac9-5de6-bd7c-57a0ed0ef034.html

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It's late at night, and Spanish Fork city's wellness coordinator Susan Chapman gets a phone call. On the other line is someone telling her news of another tragic loss in her community - death by suicide. This time, it's a teen boy. Her thoughts immediately turn to the family, and she goes into action calling friends - friends who know all-too-well what it is like to lose a son this way.

Chapman puts a care package together, drives to pick up her friends, and together they head over to meet the family of the loved one lost. Inside the home, words are spoken, tears are shed and hearts are joined in tragedy as they each lift each other up toward healing.

The experience is part of Spanish Fork city's wellness initiative that includes mental health and suicide prevention.

The initiative came about in 2015 when the city applied for a grant from the Utah League of Cities and Towns in conjunction with Intermountain Healthcare. The grant would be for $225,000, with applicants being required to show how they'd use the funds to promote active and healthy living within their communities. Councilmember Mike Mendenhall was the first to hear about the grant as a member of the league, and wanted to expand the city's focus to mental health.

Mendenhall

"We recognize that suicide prevention typically isn't the role of the city; however, we feel that significant problems require unique solutions, and that suicide prevention needs to be addressed more broadly - it needs to be a combined effort throughout the community."

- Councilmember Mike Mendhenhall

This focus, according to city officials, came after a member of the Youth City Council died by suicide.

Upon hearing of the teen's passing, Mendenhall, who served as the City Council representative to the Youth City Council, realized that there was more to community health than just the physical component - there was a significant need to address mental health in the community.

"We realized that there was a very serious problem in our community, and that the cavalry wasn't coming, so we needed to be proactive in addressing it," Mendenhall said. "We recognize that suicide prevention typically isn't the role of the city; however, we feel that significant problems require unique solutions, and that suicide prevention needs to be addressed more broadly - it needs to be a combined effort throughout the community."

With the help of Chapman in writing the grant, a mental component was added, and Spanish Fork was awarded the funds. The city also received an additional $10,000 grant through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for suicide prevention.

According to Chapman, when implementing a mental health/suicide prevention component, the city wanted to make sure that it used only proven methods of help.

"Suicide is something that is affecting more and more everyday, and there are so many people and organized efforts to try to combat this issue," Chapman said. "While all are well-intended and are helping many, we as a city felt it was important to do our research to see what is really working to save lives."

After much research, the city narrowed its approach to suicide prevention to five proven ways that include:

1. Coordinate suicide prevention efforts through a coalition: Working within organizations to form support groups.

2. Implement gatekeeper trainings: Provide trainings to school officials, hospitals, businesses and individuals on how to reduce suicidal behaviors and save lives. These trainings include, QPR (Question. Persuade. Refer.); CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means); and Working Minds (Suicide Prevention in the Workplace).

3. Reduce lethal means access: Educating people on responsible gun and weapon use, and providing ways to do that (i.e., gun locks at the local library).

4. Increase broad postvention efforts including response local reporting and survivor support: Working on actions taken after a suicide occurs to reduce the contagion effect, and giving support to survivors of loved ones lost.

5. Reduce barriers to care: Educating those struggling with suicidal thoughts and tendencies on where to go for help.

While these prevention strategies have been in place for a few years, Chapman said the city has been working hard lately to get the word out to the public. In January of 2019, Spanish Fork put out media campaigns at local theaters, online, via its cable network, and social media about responsible gun use. One video showed an older gentleman at a gun range talking about a time when he was struggling with depression. He spoke to the audience about friends of his who were concerned about his access to lethal means who asked if they could hold on to his firearms until things turned around. He ended with, "I think they saved my life."

According to officials, the ad showed 3,500 times in theaters over a 14-week period, and was viewed online 71,479 times with a completion rate of 88%. Chapman said it isn't about putting on restrictions, but teaching responsible weapon ownership.

"In our research, we found that the No. 1 suicide prevention strategy was reducing lethal means," Chapman said. "We wanted to get the message out, but in a way that was informative and not attacking. We approached gun owners as well as an NRA representative, and found that most people who own guns are passionate about safe gun ownership. We made sure the focus of reducing lethal means was not about putting on restrictions, but teaching responsibility."

Through providing trainings, educating the public on how to approach individuals struggling, informing people where to go for help, and providing support in the instances where suicide is completed, city officials have said they have seen a positive change and impact in the community.

"We are strengthening support locally for those who experience loss due to suicide," Chapman said. "We have trained many people, dispelled many myths and had lots of conversations. We've had people return after our QPR trainings and say, 'I believe my son is alive because I attended one of your trainings,' or 'We now talk openly about my sister's depression and she is more connected to the family because of the training.' We have had people leave the training and actually use the skills they learned of how to save someone's life that very night. This is a work of hope."

While the numbers have shown a slight decline in recent years, according to IBIS statistics, Chapman said that the work being done now is about saving future generations.

"My hope is to work deep, and focus on upstream prevention, which are protective and risk factors of youth," she said. "It will take about 10 years to see outcomes, but is very effective and impactful. If we address these factors while focussing on immediate prevention and intervention, you can save a group of even younger youth from being as likely as needing the same crisis interventions."

To know more about what the Spanish Fork is doing with its wellness initiative, go to the Spanish Fork Active and Healthy Community Facebook group.

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Spanish Fork implements suicide prevention efforts as part of citywide wellness initiative

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It's late at night, and Spanish Fork city's wellness coordinator Susan Chapman gets a phone call. On the other line is someone telling her news of another tragic loss in her community - death by suicide. This time, it's a teen boy.

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Each school district shall have a district improvement plan that is developed, evaluated, and revised annually, in accordance with district policy, by the superintendent with the assistance of the district-level committee. Strategies for improvement of student performance, including suicide prevention programs, must be included in the plan

(11 Tex. Educ. Code § 252.3 (2011)).

School districts must have an improvement plan.

Improvement plans must include a suicide prevention program.

Parents/guardians must be notified about the suicide prevention program.

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EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 11. SCHOOL DISTRICTS

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Sec. 11.002. RESPONSIBILITY OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. The school districts and charter schools created in accordance with the laws of this state have the primary responsibility for implementing the state's system of public education and ensuring student performance in accordance with this code.

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Texas Administrative Code requires that the high school health curriculum addresses suicide prevetion strategies (19 Tex. Admin. Code § 115.31 (2017).

High school students that take a health course must be taught suicide prevention strategies.

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EDUCATION CODE CHAPTER 11. SCHOOL DISTRICTS

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Sec. 11.002. RESPONSIBILITY OF SCHOOL DISTRICTS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATION. The school districts and charter schools created in accordance with the laws of this state have the primary responsibility for implementing the state's system of public education and ensuring student performance in accordance with this code.

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The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people
(U.S. Const. Amend. X).

Education is controlled by the state because the 10th amendment gives power to the states.

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Note: The following text is a transcription of the enrolled original of the Joint Resolution of Congress proposing the Bill of Rights, which is on permanent display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum. The spelling and punctuation reflects the original.
On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed 12 amendments to the Constitution. The 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress proposing the amendments is on display in the Rotunda in the National Archives Museum. Ten of the proposed 12 amendments were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures on December 15, 1791. The ratified Articles (Articles 3-12) constitute the first 10 amendments of the Constitution, or the U.S. Bill of Rights. In 1992, 203 years after it was proposed, Article 2 was ratified as the 27th Amendment to the Constitution. Article 1 was never ratified.

Transcription of the 1789 Joint Resolution of Congress Proposing 12 Amendments to the U.S. Constitution

Congress of the United States begun and held at the City of New-York, on Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Article the first... After the first enumeration required by the first article of the Constitution, there shall be one Representative for every thirty thousand, until the number shall amount to one hundred, after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall be not less than one hundred Representatives, nor less than one Representative for every forty thousand persons, until the number of Representatives shall amount to two hundred; after which the proportion shall be so regulated by Congress, that there shall not be less than two hundred Representatives, nor more than one Representative for every fifty thousand persons.

Article the second... No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of Representatives shall have intervened.

Article the third... Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Article the fourth... A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Article the fifth... No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Article the sixth... The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Article the seventh... No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Article the eighth... In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Article the ninth... In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Article the tenth... Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Article the eleventh... The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Article the twelfth... The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
ATTEST,
Frederick Augustus Muhlenberg, Speaker of the House of Representatives
John Adams, Vice-President of the United States, and President of the Senate
John Beckley, Clerk of the House of Representatives.
Sam. A Otis Secretary of the Senate
Amendments 11-27
The U.S. Bill of Rights

The Preamble to The Bill of Rights

Congress of the United States
begun and held at the City of New-York, on
Wednesday the fourth of March, one thousand seven hundred and eighty nine.

THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of their adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government, will best ensure the beneficent ends of its institution.

RESOLVED by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America, in Congress assembled, two thirds of both Houses concurring, that the following Articles be proposed to the Legislatures of the several States, as amendments to the Constitution of the United States, all, or any of which Articles, when ratified by three fourths of the said Legislatures, to be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of the said Constitution; viz.

ARTICLES in addition to, and Amendment of the Constitution of the United States of America, proposed by Congress, and ratified by the Legislatures of the several States, pursuant to the fifth Article of the original Constitution.

Note: The following text is a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form. These amendments were ratified December 15, 1791, and form what is known as the "Bill of Rights."

Amendment I

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Amendment II

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

Amendment III

No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.

Amendment IV

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Amendment V

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.

Amendment VI

In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence.

Amendment VII

In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law.

Amendment VIII

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.

Amendment IX

The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.

Amendment X

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
Amendments 11-27
Note: The capitalization and punctuation in this version is from the enrolled original of the Joint Resolution of Congress proposing the Bill of Rights, which is on permanent display in the Rotunda of the National Archives Building, Washington, D.C.
Back to Main Bill of Rights Page

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Note: The following text is a transcription of the enrolled original of the Joint Resolution of Congress proposing the Bill of Rights, which is on permanent display in the Rotunda at the National Archives Museum. The spelling and punctuation reflects the original.

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Klocke v. The University of Texas at Arlington

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Klocke v. The University of Texas at Arlington

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The University of Texas at Arlington was involved in a case in 2019 where student Thomas Klocke committed suicide following disciplinary action resulting from a Title IX complaint. Klocke was accused of harassing a student in his class for being gay. Klocke was placed on probation and was not allowed to attend class.

Shortly after, Klocke committed suicide. Klocke's parents sued the University of Texas at Arlington for suffering and mental anguish that led to his suicide.

The Texas 5th circuit court ruled that UTA was justified in their punishment and was not responsible for Klocke's suicide.

Klocke v. The University of Texas at Arlington. 18-10857, (5th Cir, 2019).

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During my first year of teaching, I had my first suicidal student and at first I was not sure how to handle it. When I contacted the counselor, I told her that I had not been trained on what to do when a student comes to you with suicidal thoughts. She explained to me that I did the right thing by coming to her first but also informed me that at the time our district did not have a defined protocol for effectively counseling suicidal students and that it was being worked on.

I have worked with several teachers and students in building a suicide prevention program called Hope Squad at our school over the last 3 years.

According to ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors (2016), counselors have a responsibility to provide effective and responsive interventions to students in need and I believe that the protocol we have now does that. (ASCA, 2016).

Reference:
American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors.

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Counselors have an ethical obligation to provide effective intervention to suicidal students.

Ensure that every student knows your name and face and has a way of getting in contact with you or reporting an incident with you whenever the need arises.

Counselors should seek on-going professional development opportunities in suicide prevention and intervention.

School districts have an obligation to provide their students with suicide prevention curriculum.

School counselors should work to develop guidance lessons that help to build community within the classrooms and school to ensure that students feel accepted and safe.

Professional organizations such as the American School Counselor Association provide counselors with free, comprehensive resources in implementing and maintaining suicide prevention plans

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School counselors may keep records of students who present suicidal ideation, but they should not keep those records beyond a reasonable scope of the student's enrollment in the district/campus.

The ASCA ethical standards make recommendations that counselors, in conjunction with their districts, establish a timeline for purging those records.

Reference:
American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors.