Legal and Ethical Guide Padlet by Morgan McWilliams https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my Teacher training on working with High School Suicidal Students en-us 2020-07-06 13:21:32 UTC 2025-09-25 05:00:55 UTC hello@padlet.com Slide #1 - Professional Perspective mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/648295657 I am a high school counselor at Big Spring High School. My topic is working with High School students who are suicidal. My audience of focus is High School Teachers. This is a training for the teachers on how to work with students who are suicidal. I chose this topic because it is a mental health issue that students struggle with daily. With the support of not only counselors, but of teachers too, I believe a difference can be made and the proper help can be given to each struggling student.]]> 2020-07-06 13:22:47 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/648295657 Slide #2 - Topic Summary mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/648296091 Student suicide is something that is happening more and more in our world.  It is important in the field of education because most of the time, the reasoning behind someone taking their own life is school related.  Weather a student is being bullied or has an unstable mindset, school should be the place they can go to not be judged and get help. All educators should be aware of suicide and how to help the students who struggle with it.
An emerging issue related to student suicide is cyber bullying and school shootings. These are serious issues that should not end lives over. Educators should be trained on how to notice signs of struggling students and how to help them. This situation impacts our work by impacting other students and the support system that we offer. We want students to feel safe and trust our system.]]> 2020-07-06 13:23:21 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/648296091 Slide #3 - Professional Association mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654264151 This webinar is a free training that trains teachers on strategies for crisis response and violence prevention. These are two important parts of learning about a student who may be suicidal. This webinar shows prevention strategies and also what to do when there is a crisis involving a student suicide or an outcry.

Klinger, A. & Klinger, A. (2018). Equipping educators with effective violence prevention and crisis response strategies. ASCD. Retrieved from 

http://www.ascd.org/professional-development/webinars/effective-violence-prevention-and-crisis-responses-strategies-webinar.aspx
]]> 2020-07-14 15:18:09 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654264151 Slide #10 - Local Administrative Law/Policy/Rule mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654265090 Big Spring ISD Student Handbook: It is local policy that the school partners with parents on keeping students safe. It is also policy to report if a student is suicidal. Located in the Big Spring High School student handbook, students and parents will find information on suicide prevention.

Big Spring ISD. (2019). Student Handbook: Suicide Awareness and Mental Health Support. Retrieved from https://www.bsisd.esc18.net/cms/lib/TX50000558/Centricity/Domain/157/BSHS%20Student%20Handbook%202019-2020.pdf 

Big Spring ISD Employee Handbook: It is also local policy for educators to “express concerns, complaints, or criticism through appropriate channels” and to “observe all safety rules and regulations and report injuries or unsafe conditions to a supervisor immediately” (Big Spring ISD Employee Handbook, 2019, P.39). This policy states that if an employee suspects that a student is unsafe in any way, it is their duty to report it. 

Big Spring ISD Employee Handbook. (2019, P.39). Employee Conduct and Welfare: Standards of Conduct. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DJkcoKznfBbHe1cIQDylbaxvyvBK1Jj2/view 
]]> 2020-07-14 15:19:15 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654265090 Slide #11 - Ethical Principle mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654265753 Code F.4.b. in the Counseling Code of Ethics states that teachers will be trained on how to handle a crisis situation if they are absent. In this situation, if a student comes forward and expresses that they are suicidal,  the teacher would normally send the student to the counselor. However, if the counselor is out that day, the teacher will be informed on how to handle this crisis. 
ACA Code of Ethics. (2014). American counseling association. Retrieved from https://www.counseling.org/resources/aca-code-of-ethics.pdf ]]> 2020-07-14 15:20:04 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654265753 Slide #12 Non-Law Source mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654266076 The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is a website that gives information on suicide.  It gives 24/7 support for anyone having suicidal thoughts. This website is user friendly for anyone in any role of suicide. The goal of this website is to raise awareness, help best practices, and prevent future suicide.
https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/ 
National suicide prevention lifeline (n.d.). Retrieved from https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/
]]> 2020-07-14 15:20:26 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654266076 Slide #13 - Bulleted list of Recommendations / Best Practices for Compliance mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654266581 - Miller (2014) suggests that suicide prevention focus on populations rather than individuals. This creates awareness for more than those struggling with suicide and does not focus on any one person.
-Miller (2014) suggests that suicide prevention focus on prevention and not treatment.
-Miller (2014) suggests that suicide prevention offers "universal prevention strategies for all students in a given population , selected interventions for at-risk students, and tertiary interventions for students exhibiting suicidal behavior" (P.3). This gives each specific student struggling the appropriate intervention.
-  Mishara, B. &  Dargis, L. (2019) give important recommendations on what educators should and should not to do for safe messaging about suicide in public communications.
- Big Spring high schools employee handbook gives educators information on how they want suicidal incidents handled. It is found at https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DJkcoKznfBbHe1cIQDylbaxvyvBK1Jj2/view.
-Big Spring high schools student handbook gives parents and students information on resources on suicide and what they should do in a situation involving student suicide. It can be found at https://www.bsisd.esc18.net/cms/lib/TX50000558/Centricity/Domain/157/BSHS%20Student%20Handbook%202019-2020.pdf

Resources

-Big Spring Employee Handbook (2019). Employee Conduct and Welfare: Standards of Conduct. Retrieved from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DJkcoKznfBbHe1cIQDylbaxvyvBK1Jj2/view
-Big Spring ISD (2019). Student Handbook: Suicide Awareness and Mental Health Support. Retrieved from https://www.bsisd.esc18.net/cms/lib/TX50000558/Centricity/Domain/157/BSHS%20Student%20Handbook%202019-2020.pdf
-Miller, D. (2014).  Levels of responsibility in school-based suicide prevention: Legal requirements, ethical duties, and best practices.  International journal of behavioral consultation  and therapy, 9(3), P. 15-18. DOI: 10.1037/h0101635
-Mishara, B. & Dargis, L. (2019).  Systematic comparison of recommendations for safe messaging about suicide in public communications.  Journal of affective disorders, 244, P. 124-154. DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2018.09.031]]> 2020-07-14 15:20:57 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654266581 Slide #5 - Current News Article mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654267203 There is a need for research on mental health.  This article explains the importance to further study mental health and ways to help the people who suffer from it. While the number of suicides have increased, the research has not. A college in Utah has been given $150 million to research mental health and find new ways to help people. With this new research, educators can also be trained on these new findings and will hopefully decrease the suicide rates. 
Anderson, G. (2019).  

$150 million donation for Utah mental health. Inside higher education. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/11/05/150-million-donation-utah-mental-health

]]> 2020-07-14 15:21:42 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654267203 Slide #4 - Current News Article mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654267417 In this article, dating violence led to a student's suicide. Teen dating violence in high school is another factor leading to student suicide. Educators need to be aware and trained on how to work with students suffering from teen dating violence.
Anderson, G. (2019). 

Prosecutors: Boston college student coerced to commit suicide. Inside higher education. Retrieved from https://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2019/11/22/prosecutors-boston-college-student-coerced-commit-suicide 

]]> 2020-07-14 15:21:51 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654267417 Slide #6 - Constitutional Law mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654268658 The 14th amendment of the U.S. Constitution states that each person is granted equal protection no matter their health or mental status. In this situation, there are students who have suicidal thoughts and may be struggling with their mental status. These students are not denied their right for equal protection because of this.
https://constitutionus.com/ 
U.S. Const. amend. XIV]]> 2020-07-14 15:22:55 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654268658 Slide #7 - Judicial Law mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654269138 Shin v. MIT 2005 – To summarize this case, a student at a college University commits suicide after working with the psychologist on campus. Negligence was the cause of suicide. The administrators did not take proper action in helping this student and did not believe she was suicidal. More should have been done to ensure the safety of this student with immediate watch over the student when she made the plans for her suicide attempt. The administrators had a duty to protect and help this student with her mental health and failed to do so by negligence.
https://1-next-westlaw-com.easydb.angelo.edu/Document/I8b2d3e39086811dabf60c1d57ebc853e/View/FullText.html?navigationPath=Search%2Fv1%2Fresults%2Fnavigation%2Fi0ad604ad00000173398db8e0aaf01d7d%3FNav%3DCASE%26fragmentIdentifier%3DI8b2d3e39086811dabf60c1d57ebc853e%26parentRank%3D0%26startIndex%3D1%26contextData%3D%2528sc.Search%2529%26transitionType%3DSearchItem&listSource=Search&listPageSource=03a191e27ccaf3571bcf889496de1743&list=CASE&rank=1&sessionScopeId=aed6a12abde6336c4f5dda8311eae8f1b4ecc67657228cf2de6efbaf5ae2bd79&originationContext=Search%20Result&transitionType=SearchItem&contextData=%28sc.Search%29 
Shin v. MIT, No. 020403 (2005)]]> 2020-07-14 15:23:23 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654269138 Slide #8 - Administrative Law mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654269687 Teacher Standards, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 149.1001 – In this code, teachers follow standards on “maintaining a physically and emotionally safe, supportive learning environment” for the students (19 T.A.C. § 149.1001).  If a student is suicidal and comes forward to the teacher, it is important for the teacher to keep these standards in mind so the student can feel supported in the help they are reaching out for.
https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=R&app=9&p_dir=&p_rloc=&p_tloc=&p_ploc=&pg=1&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=149&rl=1001  
Teacher Standards, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 149.1001]]> 2020-07-14 15:23:50 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654269687 Slide #9 - Statutory Law mmcwilliams8 https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654270018 Federal: Activities to support safe and healthy students, 20 U.S.C. § 7118 et. seq. – This law states that teachers are to get “high-quality training and specialized instructional support personnel related to suicide prevention” (20 U.S.C. § 7118 et. seq.).  When faced  with a student who may be suicidal, teachers are to be trained and supported on what to do. 
https://uscode.house.gov/view.xhtml?req=granuleid:USC-prelim-title20-section7118&num=0&edition=prelim
Activities to support safe and healthy students, 20 U.S.C. § 7118 et. seq.

State: Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Youth Suicide, Tex. Educ. Code § 38.351 – This law requires educators to be updated annually on “suicide prevention, intervention and postvention” along with other several important information for educators in the school setting (Tex. Educ. Code § 38.351).  Educators should know what the warning signs are that indicate a student may be suicidal and what to do if they believe a student may be suicidal.
https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.38.htm#38.351 
Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Youth Suicide, Tex. Educ. Code § 38.351]]> 2020-07-14 15:24:11 UTC https://padlet.com/mmcwilliams8/htuyidrxljvss9my/wish/654270018