Link to Booklet: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/9b28c170-607a-428f-9dae-619850fa531b/Model-School-District-Policy-Suicide-Prevention.pdf

Nineteen students have died by suicide in the Clark County School District of Nevada since the pandemic began. As the Clark County district grapples with this disturbing trend, so does the rest of the country. 

 The suicide rate among young people is not yet out for 2020; researchers and mental health experts have many reasons to be worried. 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that hospitals saw a rise in visits within April and October 2020 due to adolescents suffering from mental health issues.

Social isolation is one of the highest risk facts for suicide; young people depend on school friends and family for support, and when that is gone, you can lose hope. 

Loss of family stability, like family income, is a significant stressor for young people that can affect mood and a student's ability to learn. 

Improving the United States mental health system would benefit all people, not just adolescents (Chatterjee, 2021).

Link to article: 

According to the Centers for Dease control, the suicide rate for teens ages 15-19 has increased 76 percent between 2007 and 2017, while suicide rates for children 10-14 have tripled. 

1 in 5 high school students has a serious thought of suicide within any 12 months.

Helpful reminders for teens: mental health struggles are part of life and completely normal; asking for help is not a sign of weakness, and 

it is ok to talk to friends or school staff about your struggles.

Depression and mental illness look different to everyone; you don't have to "look depressed" to be depressed. 

Educators should foster relationships, so students feel connected. 

Bullying is associated with suicide due to its isolating effects on a person.  

Don't be afraid to have those serious conversations about a pressing topic like suicide and mental health (Prothero, 2019

Link to article: 

David's Law  (TX. SB -179)  

David's Law revises the Texas Education Code requirements regarding bullying and includes cyberbullying.

 The Law urges school districts to create a district-wide plan preventing bullying and incorporating mediation.

Incorporates anonymous reporting for students and includes cyberbullying on and off-campus.

Allows school principals to report severe bullying to local law enforcement and frees them from legal liability for doing so. 

Increases the range of professional development to include trauma and grief-informed strategies.

David's Law encompasses all Texas public schools and open-enrollment charter schools but does not include private schools. 

Original Source of Law:  https://legiscan.com/TX/research/SB179/2017

Statutory (Tex. Educ. Code §11.252 (a)(3). (B)(i)) Texas Education Code Mental Health Promotion and Intervention: District improvement plans are required to include strategies for incorporating suicide prevention programs 

One goal of a district improvement plan is to create positive change for all school system students. With a strong suicide prevention program, a school can significantly impact vulnerable youth and save lives.

Original source: https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._educ._code_section_38.35

Statutory (Tex.Educ.Code §21.451(d)(3))

Schools must train staff on suicide and prevention during professional development.

Topics of training during PD must include suicide prevention, recognizing the signs of mental health conditions, and substance abuse. Other issues include trauma-informed school, preventing bullying, positive relationships, etc.

This training must be given to all current and new district employees once a year and use best practices established by the TEA (Texas Education Agency) and Texas Human Services Commission.

Training Educators annually on mental health issues is key to saving lives.

Original source: https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.21.htm

Statutory (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.001(7)(c))

The district's code of conduct must prohibit and prevent bullying of any kind, and that district personal enforce these policies.

Meaning it is the Law that you as an educator enforce the district's bullying and harassment policies. 

Bullying and harassment can lead to students self-harming or committing suicide. These laws are in place to protect our students and keep them safe in school.

Original source: https://texas.public.law/statutes/tex._educ._code_title_2_subtitle_g_chapter_37

Baab v. Medina City Schools: In this case, students told the school counselor, in four separate instances, that an 8th-grade student was self-harming and, on one occasion, threatened suicide. The counselor told the student's parents, who got boy professional mental health treatment. Two weeks later, the counselor received notice from another student that the boy had threatened to commit suicide via a text message he sent. This time the counselor did nothing, and a few days later, the boy committed suicide. The student's father sued the school district and the school counselor. The court found that qualified state immunity shielded the district from liability but declared that the case against the counselor could go to trial. 

A school's responsibility 

Schools do not have a responsibility to prevent student suicides, yet courts have found that schools may be legally liable for a student's suicide if they: 

(Underwood,2019)

Original source: https://law.justia.com/cases/ohio/ninth-district-court-of-appeals/2019/28969.html

Administrative 

The Denton ISD employee handbook references a Policy that utilized a program for early mental health intervention and suicide prevention, including education for staff on early warning or the possible need for staff involvement. (DentonISD Handbook,2020)

Denton ISD follows the Texas Education Code 37.115(a). Each school will have a threat assessment team responsible for creating a "safe and supportive" school program following the TEA rules (Tex. Educ. Code § 37.115(a)). 

Ask your AP, who is on your campus threat assessment team, if you have any questions. Your Responsive Services counselor or school counselor is also a great resource in this area. 

Employee handbook link: https://pol.tasb.org/Policy/Download/383?filename=FFB(LEGAL).pdf

The American School Counselors Association (ASCA) Ethical Standards for School Counselors A.2. Confidentiality. This standard states school counselors must keep the information a student shares confidential unless "to prevent serious and foreseeable harm" of the student. 

If the counselor does not know if they should breach confidentiality, a counselor should consult other relevant colleagues in the matter. Ethical dilemma and responsibility: If a student tells their school counselor," I don't want to live anymore, but please don't tell my parents, or they will get mad at me." It the legal and ethical responsibility of the counselor to tell the student's parents. The safety of the student is the school's and counselor's number one priority(ASCA ,2016).

Link to ASCA Code of Ethics

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has a research-based booklet entitled: The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What We Know and What it Means for Schools. This booklet is a valuable data-driven resource on the correlation between bullying and suicide. The booklet states that bullies and victims are both susceptible to self-harm. 

Bullying and suicide-related behavior are both complicated public health problems. 

Things that can affect bullying or thought of self-harm include: 

• emotional pain 

• vulnerability to violence 

• family struggles 

• relationship problems 

• loss of connectedness to school/sense of supportive school setting 

• alcohol and drug usage 

• physical disabilities/learning differences 

• loss of access to resources/support

Understanding the circumstances that cause these behaviors and actions is key to solving the problem of suicide and bullying. 

(CDC,2919)

  https://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/bullying-suicide-translation-final-a.pdf

Hernandez, E. (2021, January 28). Proposed bill would require Texas high school students to take a mental health class. KSAT. https://www.ksat.com/news/local/2021/01/28/proposed-bill-would-require-texas-high-school-students-to-take-a-mental-health-class/.

Prothero, Arianna. "Teen Suicides Rising Sharply, Federal Data Show." Education Week, Education Week, 18 Nov. 2020, www.edweek.org/leadership/teen-suicides-rising-sharply-federal-data-show/2019/10.

"School Counseling Standards." Home - American School Counselor Association (ASCA), www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/9b28c170-607a-428f-9dae-619850fa531b/Model-School-District-Policy-Suicide-Prevention.pdf

Underwood . J "Student Suicide and School Liability ." Kappanonline.org, 28 Oct. 2019, kappanonline.org/student-suicide-school-liability-underwood/.