Working With Suicidal Students by Hollee Reed

Working With Suicidal Students by Hollee Reed https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02 Legal and Ethics en-us 2019-07-17 18:32:18 UTC 2019-07-22 00:44:38 UTC hello@padlet.com My Professional Perspective hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371486529 My professional perspective is working as a school counselor at a fifth and sixth grade campus. My experience has been as a classroom teacher for two years in pre-kindergarten and nine years in kindergarten. I have a bachelors degree from Texas A&M in Interdisciplinary Studies. This legal guide padlet is a resource for all school counselors at Azle ISD to help them stay current on the legal requirements and laws that pertain to working with students who are suicidal. The topic of suicide was chosen because it is a topic that comes up with multiple students throughout the school year. Also, it is the school counselors responsibility to be the expert on the campus in regards to identifying signs of suicidal behaviors, assessing the level of risk of suicide, providing up to date resources to families to help their child when this problem is present, and training all staff members on the procedures for working with students who are suicidal.

]]> 2019-07-17 20:51:34 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371486529 Interview hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371486561 I spoke with the school counselor, Erica Fox, from Hoover Elementary in Azle ISD about the policies and procedures she follows when working with students who are suicidal.
Why is suicide an important topic to school counselors?
Working with students who are suicidal impacts school counselors work on a regular basis. At the fifth and sixth grade level, there are frequent outcries of students saying or writing that they want to die. Anytime a student reports this feeling, we take immediate action to ensure students safety and contact their parents. Being aware of signs and symptoms of suicidal behaviors can save lives.

Best Practices when working with students who are suicidal.

Erica Fox noted three practices that she feels is critical when working with students who are suicidal.
1. Always follow the suicide protocols developed by a team of counselors from Azle ISD. This includes identifying risk factors of suicidal thoughts, assessing the level of risk of suicide, contacting parents, and making a plan to support the student in and outside of school.
2. Every counselor in the district uses "The Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale" (C-SSRS) to assess the level of risk for any student who has expressed feelings of wanting to die. This rating scale aligns with the local children’s hospital and recommended by the Region 11 service center. The C-SSRS allows a counselor to quickly determine the students risk of suicide so further action can be taken.
3. Provide an annual training for all staff members that covers suicide prevention. A counselor can not prevent all students from suicide on their own, it has to be an effort from every educator in the building.

Emerging Issues
Keeping current on court cases and legislation passed is a challenge for all counselors. Some ways to stay current on laws concerning suicide is through getting notifications from the Texas Education Agency, meeting with other counselors in our district, and planning a suicide prevention curriculum that aligns with Region 11 (our local service center). Laws about suicides will always be a topic that is evolving. Changes will be made as situations or cases arise and finding solutions that could have been done in order to prevent suicide from occurring.

(E. Fox, personal communication, July 15, 2019)
School Counselor for Hoover Elementary]]> 2019-07-17 20:52:13 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371486561 American School Counselor Association (ASCA) - The School Counselor and Suicide Prevention/Awareness hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371486573 The American School Counselor Association adopted a prevention and awareness resource for counselors to use in their practice. This resource covers a counselor’s position, rationale on the need for suicide awareness, and the school counselor’s role to protect students against suicide. In order for counselors to achieve their ethical obligation to protect students, counselors must receive and maintain current training on the signs of suicide, resources that are available to help students, preparing other educators and parents on the warning signs of suicidal behavior, and referring students who are expressing suicidal thoughts.

American School Counselor Association (2018). The School Counselor and Suicide Prevention/Awareness. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/PositionStatements/PS_Suicide.pdf]]> 2019-07-17 20:52:36 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371486573 State Funds to Support Suicide Prevention Training in Colorado Schools hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371767399 Colorado schools are getting $400,000 in state funding to train school employees in suicide prevention strategies. The Center for Disease Control reported that from 1999 to 2016, there has been an increase in suicide rates by 34.1%. "The recent suicides of public figures, combined with the controversial “13 Reasons Why” series on Netflix, has increased the pressure on schools to implement suicide prevention efforts, including training 'gatekeepers' who learn to identify students experiencing distress and refer them to professional help" (Jacobson, 2018). Other efforts that schools are focusing on is improving school climate so that students feel more connected to one another and giving students the knowledge to recognize when a peer is considering harming themselves.

Jacobson, L. (2018). State Funds to Support Suicide Prevention Training in Colorado Schools. Education Dive. Retrieved from https://www.educationdive.com/news/state-funds-to-support-suicide-prevention-training-in-colorado-schools/526468/]]> 2019-07-20 23:43:22 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371767399 Suicides Are on the Rise. Here’s How Schools Can Help hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371767792 The Center for Disease Control reported that suicide is the second leading cause of death for kids ages 10 to 19. This data puts schools in the prime position to help with suicide prevention. Schools can create a safe environment for students that addresses bullying and educate students and staff about depression and suicide. The article also give tips for schools about how to respond after a student suicide occurs . If this is not done correctly, there is a risk of ‘contagion’ – additional suicides by students who are already at risk.

Stark, L. (2018). Suicides are on the rise. Here’s how schools can help. Education Week.

Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/rulesforengagement/2018/12/suicides_continue_to_increase_how_schools_can_help.html

]]> 2019-07-20 23:54:36 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371767792 Eisel v. Board of Education of Montgomery County, 597 A 2d 447 (1990). - Judicial Law hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768321 In this case, Nicole, a thirteen-year-old student, and her friend made a murder-suicide pact. Nicole told several friends about her plan to commit suicide. Her friends reported this information to the school counselor. Nicole denied making these threats when the school counselor questioned her so the counselor never reported these accusations to Nicole’s parents. Nicole and her friend committed suicide in a park. Nicole’s dad sued the school for negligence. As a result of the Eisel case, the court acknowledged that school counselors hear numerous suicidal ideation and that not all threats are serious, but consequence and risk of suicide is so great that the counselor has a duty to get the student help and inform the parents.]]> 2019-07-21 00:10:26 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768321 Tex. Edu. Code § 21.451 (1995) - Statutory Law hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768382 Texas Education Code “requires annual staff development for educators in suicide prevention; training must be based on best practice recommended by the Department of State Health Services in coordination with the Texas Education Agency and may be completed via independent online review”.]]> 2019-07-21 00:13:34 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768382 The Privacy Act of 1974, 5 U.S.C. § 552a - Administrative Law hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768491 The privacy act governs the procedures about collecting, using and disclosing private information about individuals. Personal information is information or an opinion that is recorded about a person no matter if it is true or not. Educators who are collecting, using, or disclosing information about a student who has displayed suicidal ideation should follow the Privacy Act of 1974. ]]> 2019-07-21 00:18:26 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768491 Armijo v. Wagon Mound Public, 159 F.3d 1253 (1998). - Judicial Law hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768532 A New Mexico school principal suspended a student and had the school counselor drive him home. Earlier in the day, the student reported to a teacher’s aide that he was “better off dead”. When the parents got home they found their child dead with a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The school was found responsible because the school left the student alone, with access to a firearm when they knew he was suicidal. ]]> 2019-07-21 00:20:22 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768532 Student Welfare Crisis Intervention, Azle ISD Board Policy Manual, 2019 - Local Administrative Law hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768773 Azle ISD School Board Policy states a parent must be notified if a student is identified as at risk of committing suicide and the student may be in need of early mental health or substance abuse intervention or suicide prevention (Azle ISD, 2019).]]> 2019-07-21 00:32:07 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768773 ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768870 School counselors need to inform parents when a student poses a serious and foreseeable risk of harm to self or others. This should be done after consulting with your campus administrator or other professionals. School counselors have to inform students of the their legal obligations to report the concern to the appropriate authorities unless this information needs to be kept private in order to protect the student. For example, a student may run away if they know they parent will be contacted. The consequence of the risk of not reporting the concern to the parents and giving the parents a chance to intervene on behalf of their child is too great. Even if the danger appears relatively remote, parents should be notified (ASCA, 2016).

American School Counselor Association. (2016). ASCA ethical standards for school counselors. Retrieved from https://www.schoolcounselor.org/asca/media/asca/Ethics/EthicalStandards2016.pdf]]> 2019-07-21 00:37:20 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371768870 Non-Law Source - Preventing Youth Suicide: Tips for Parents and Educators hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371769116 This is a great resource to use when getting information about preventing suicide in youth. Risk factors that contribute to suicide include mental illness, family stress, access to firearms, and situational crisis. Warning signs that are related to suicide in youth include indirect or direct threat of suicide, suicide plans, making final arrangements, preoccupied with death, and changes in behavior or looks. School counselors and staff should work to create an environment where students feel safe to share these feelings.

National Association of School Psychologists (2015). Preventing youth suicide: Tips for parents and educators. Retrieved from https://www.nasponline.org/resources-and-publications/resources-and-podcasts/school-climate-safety-and-crisis/mental-health-resources/preventing-youth-suicide/preventing-youth-suicide-tips-for-parents-and-educators

]]> 2019-07-21 00:49:40 UTC https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371769116 What to do when a student is suicidal: hreed51 https://padlet.com/hreed51/63sgyjmmeb02/wish/371769527 · Remain calm.

· Ask the youth directly if he or she is thinking about suicide.

· Avoid being accusatory and focus on the student’s well-being.

· Listen.

· Reassure them that there is help and they will not feel like this forever.

· Do not judge.

· Provide constant supervision. Do not leave the youth alone.

· Remove means for self-harm.

· Get help: No one should ever agree to keep a youth's suicidal thoughts a secret. Always notify their parent or guardian. Parents should seek help from school or community mental health resources as soon as possible. School staff should take the student to a school-employed mental health professional or administrator.

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