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I chose Working with Suicidal Students as my topic because my brother wrote a suicide note when he was in high school but luckily was unable to complete his mission. I remember seeing my parents completely heartbroken and confused as to how they did not see the signs of him being suicidal. After having this personal connection with suicide, I have always wondered why people want to commit suicide and how are ways that I could help prevent this from occurring.
From my professional perspective, I want to be able to help our youth that may be having thoughts of killing themselves. In the youth today, ages 14-18, suicide is the second leading cause of death and these statistics continue to rise yearly (Ivey-Stephenson AZ, Demissie Z, Crosby AE, et al.). I am currently the middle school counselor at my school district and I counsel many students that have had suicidal thoughts in the past. This month is suicide prevention awareness month and I have been working hard to make my students aware of suicide and find ways to seek help. Suicide has always been something that I have wanted to help others with because it is a final decision, so if I can help any student from committing suicide, I want to be able to do that.

Reference:
Ivey-Stephenson AZ, Demissie Z, Crosby AE, et al. Suicidal Ideation and Behaviors Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2019. MMWR Suppl 2020;69(Suppl-1):47–55. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su6901a6

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I interviewed Jennifer White from Paint Creek I.S.D. for this assignment. Jennifer mentioned that suicide is a very sensitive and serious topic that many times falls on the school counselor. She said it was very important for school counselors to be aware of these situations and also make sure that all of the school personnel are trained to know the signs of suicidal students. Jennifer said it's vital to monitor bully reports because oftentimes the victim of the bullying may be the victim of suicide. She uses documentation from our region center that she has modified to fit her district with protocols and other important information. Unfortunately, Jennifer has had a student commit suicide one week before she officially started her job as a school counselor. She said the region center was very helpful along with the high school counselor. She said it was one of the worst things she has ever gone through as a school counselor. She continues to complete trainings about mental health and suicide and also reaches out to other school counselors for help.
The Legal Guide is important in my field of education as a school counselor because it gives me a guide to follow to improve our counseling service on our campus. The guide is not only there for school counselors, but for other employees and the students. Overall, I think the Legal Guide will be a helpful resource to refer to and also add to throughout my years as a school counselor.

I think the best practice related to suicide prevention is making students aware of suicide and the effects it has on everyone, not just the victim. I think it is important to talk about suicide comfortably so that students are not afraid to talk about it suicide if they are having suicidal thoughts. Another best practice is mental health care and making sure that students understand that it is alright to ask for help when their mental health is unstable. We need to be proactive for mental health and suicide. Confidentiality (unless legally required to report) and a positive, caring atmosphere is another best practice for students that may be having suicidal thoughts.
An are emerging issue related to suicide prevention is the fact that people are scared and uncomfortable talking about suicide. Everyone acts as if it should not be talked about, but it should be something that our students feel comfortable coming to us with. This impacts my work because if others are not talking about it comfortably, the students feel uncomfortable talking about and therefore they may or may not reach out for help when needed.

Here is the link to Mrs. White's school website: https://www.paintcreek.esc14.net/page/Counselor

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This resource is informative for suicide prevention because suicide attempts continue to grow, and educators need to be on their toes. Having proper training and listening to students when they speak is so important to prevent suicide attempts.

Educators may not be able to recognize major suicide risk factors students have.

Most educators admit they need more suicide prevention training and want to receive this training.

Knowing statistics about suicides and understanding the risk factors can save lives.

Reference:
Flannery, M. E. (n.d.). 'are you thinking about suicide?'. NEA. https://www.nea.org/advocating-for-change/new-from-nea/are-you-thinking-about-suicide.

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Mental illness and depression look different for everyone, so students are slipping by with these issues and they could be just as at risk for suicide as students that express their mental health and depression issues.

Suicide rates increased over 75 percent between 2007 and 2017

From 2007-2017 suicide rates in 10-14-year-olds have tripled!

Nine out of ten students that commit suicide suffered from some type of mental illness.

Schools have limited resources, but teachers and other school personnel have a huge impact on these students.

Reference:
Prothero, A. (2020, November 18). Teen suicides rising sharply, Federal Data Show. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/teen-suicides-rising-sharply-federal-data-show/2019/10.

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What Schools Can Do to Help Prevent Suicides

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Marraccini talks about the importance of watching for warning signs and making help and resources for mental health and suicidal students readily available on campus.

There has not been an increase in death, but reports show an increase in suicidal ideation or contemplation

There have also been more reports of emergency mental health visits during the pandemic.

She suggests building relationships with students so they are comfortable with you, learn about suicide signs, teach SEL lessons, and have a suicide protocol available.

Reference:
Marraccini, M. E. (2021, April 2). What we know about suicide during the pandemic (and what we don't) (opinion). Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/opinion-what-we-know-about-suicide-during-the-pandemic-and-what-we-dont/2021/03.

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Slide #6 Original Sources of Law (STATE)

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Slide #6 Original Sources of Law (STATE)

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An updated list of best practice-based programs and research-based practices each year

List of appropriate programs for the school district

Early mental health prevention

Skill-building related to emotions

Substance abuse prevention

Suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention

A positive and safe school environment

Recognize at-risk students

Recognize students with mental health issues

Intervene with students seeking help

Help students returning to school after seeking mental health treatment (Tex. Education Code § 38.351).

References:
Texas Education Code-Counselors, § 38.351 (2017).

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Slide #7 Original Sources of Law (FEDERAL) S.2661 - National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020

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Slide #7 Original Sources of Law (FEDERAL) S.2661 - National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020

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Over 129 suicides a day in United States

Post National Suicide Hotline Number and crisis text number

Give access to 3-digit national suicide hotline

Make sure everyone in the United States is able to recognize the number and have access

Text - S.2661 - 116th Congress (2019-2020): National Suicide Hotline Designation Act of 2020. (2020, October 17). https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/senate-bill/2661/text

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Slide #8 Texas Administrative Code (STATE)

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Slide #8 Texas Administrative Code (STATE)

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All open-enrollment schools must provide training for suicide prevention
Suicide prevention training must be provided for all new incoming employees for new teacher/employee orientation
The school district must maintain records of the training and the participants that completed the training.

19 Tex. Admin. Code § 153.1013 (2016).

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Suicide affects everyone of all ages

Policymakers need to understand the issue and make efforts to decrease suicide rates throughout the state of Texas

Include data on suicide-related events

Postvention needs to be recognized for suicidal students

List laws and policies on suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention

H.R. 3980, 86th, Reg. Sess. (2019).

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Slide #10 Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule

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Slide #10 Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule

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Students may be placed in DAEP for bullying a student to the point of committing or attempting to commit suicide. or

Students may be expelled for bullying that encourages another student to commit or attempt to commit suicide.

Aiding a student to commit suicide is a Title 5 felony

If a student attempts or commits suicide, any student found guilty of bullying this student in any way will be punished in one of the three ways listed above.

Link to Stamford ISD Student Code of Conduct: https://www.stamford.esc14.net/upload/page/0119/docs/2021-2022/SISD%20Student%20Code%20of%20Conduct%202021-2022.pdf

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Slide #11 Ethical Principle- ASCA A.10. Underserved and At-Risk Populations

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Slide #11 Ethical Principle- ASCA A.10. Underserved and At-Risk Populations

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In the ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors, Section A. 10 focuses on our at-risk students. This includes making sure they have a safe school environment, providing resources they need to be safe at home and at school and sharing appropriate information with parents when needed. This ethical code also states that school counselors should not destroy any records that may be needed in court; it specifically states records that may be needed in suicidal cases. This relates to my topic of suicide prevention because making sure students feel safe at home and at school and reporting any serious issues with parents are ways of preventing suicide in our youth.

ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. (2016).

Link to Code of Ethics: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/f041cbd0-7004-47a5-ba01-3a5d657c6743/Ethical-Standards.pdf

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Slide #12 Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

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Slide #12 Personal Connection to the Legal and Ethical Standards

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Identify your personal connection to legal and ethical standards by providing an overview of how the context allowed you to understand the application of the law to your personal educational journey (3 sentences). Include three (3) sentences points regarding your feelings about these connections to the law and how this paved a way for your education goals.

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Slide #13 Bulleted list of Recommendations/Best Practices for Compliance

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Slide #13 Bulleted list of Recommendations/Best Practices for Compliance

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1. Have a suicide protocol in place in case the unexpected happens.

2. Talk comfortably about suicide so students feel comfortable and not ashamed.

3. Continue professional development and training for suicide prevention.

4. Learn and recognize warning signs of suicide.

5. Know the suicide prevention resources and share these with the students.

6. Do not be afraid to straight up ask a student if they have had suicidal thoughts.