·         Protects students’ confidentiality

·         Prohibits school counselors from disclosing any information related to the student’s mental health or treatment 

·         Promotes awareness among school counselors of the legal requirements they need to adhere to after a student has been referred to receive mental health services.

Reference
Under what conditions is prior consent required to disclose information?, 34 C.F.R. § 99.30.  https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-34/subtitle-A/part-99/subpart-D/section-99.30 

·         Districts have practices and procedures in place related to suicide prevention

·         Schools are actively preventing suicide by educating and intervening for all students

·         School counselors follow the practices and procedures that their districts have in place to ensure they are following best practices related to suicide prevention and intervention.

Reference 
Mental Health Promotion and Intervention, Substance Abuse Prevention and Intervention, and Suicide Prevention, Tex. Educ. Code § 38.351. https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/SOTWDocs/ED/htm/ED.38.htm 

·         School districts provide suicide prevention training to staff members

·         School counselors are keeping themselves updated with current information and techniques that can serve as a tool for suicide prevention and intervention.

Reference
Suicide Prevention Training, 19 Tex. Admin. Code § 153.1013. https://texreg.sos.state.tx.us/public/readtac$ext.TacPage?sl=T&app=9&p_dir=P&p_rloc=187943&p_tloc=14861&p_ploc=1&pg=4&p_tac=&ti=19&pt=2&ch=153&rl=1021 

·         Determined that school counselors must intervene and notify parents of a student to attempt to prevent suicide

·         Recognized that schools are liable when a school counselor fails to intervene or notify parents to help prevent suicide.

Reference
Eisel v. Board of Education of Montgomery County, 597 A.2d 447 (1991). https://casetext.com/case/eisel-v-board-of-education

ASCA Ethical Standards ensure that:

·         School counselors are knowledgeable of and follow the policies and procedures related to suicidal risk

·         School counselors identify signs of suicidal behavior, assess the risk, and intervene on behalf of students at risk of suicide

·         School counselors protect their role from liability by maintaining records and following their district's policies and procedures.

American School Counselor Association. (2022). ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf

Reference
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2023). Suicide data and statistics. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/suicide-data-statistics.html

U.S. Const. amend. Ⅰ

 

In the webpage, the American School Counselor Association (2018) included a link containing important information about the school counselor’s role in the topic of suicide awareness and prevention: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Suicide-Prevention-Awaren. School counselors must know their role and the protocols they should follow in case they encounter a student at risk of suicide.  

References
American School Counselor Association. (2018). The school counselor and suicide prevention/awareness. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Standards-Positions/Position-Statements/ASCA-Position-Statements/The-School-Counselor-and-Suicide-Prevention-Awaren

American School Counselor Association. (2023). Suicide prevention and response ASCA resources. American School Counselor Association. https://www.schoolcounselor.org/Publications-Research/Publications/Free-ASCA-Resources/Suicide-Prevention-and-Response

·         Stressors may increase suicide risk. One factor that may increase risk is the use of social media, this may be due to cyberbullying or the pressure the kids put on themselves when others do not react how they want to their posts.

·         Educators must pay attention to changes in student’s behavior as this may be an indicator that the student may need help. by identifying students who feel isolated.

·         Educators can make a difference by including activities that help increase protective factors and establishing good classroom management.

·         Schools can also use a universal screening to identify issues early.

Reference
K-12 Dive. (2022). Understanding educators’ role in addressing the rise in youth suicide. K-12 Dive. https://www.k12dive.com/spons/understanding-educators-role-in-addressing-the-rise-in-youth-suicide/630147/

·         Students under 10 years old can present suicidal ideation and thoughts of death. The article establishes that is important that educators and school counselors have appropriate conversations with students when they are emotional.

·         Signs of mental health issues are difficult to identify when students are young, and the signs of self-harm may be different in older students.

·         Younger students may experience different stressors or triggers as their stressors may be more related to their home environment.

·         School staff members must be trained in suicide prevention as students need supportive adults.

·         School counselors are needed as the number of students seeking mental health services has increased after the pandemic.

Reference
Gans, A. (2022). Preventing suicide among young children: 5 Takeaways for educators. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/leadership/preventing-suicide-among-young-children-5-takeaways-for-educators/2022/04

·         School counselors must understand their role in suicide prevention and intervention.

·         School counselors must follow Federal Laws prohibiting them from disclosing information about the student’s health or treatment.

·         School counselors must adhere to Texas Statutory law by following the established district's policies, practices, and procedures in cases of suicide risk.

·         School counselors must attend all mandated suicide prevention training.

·         School counselors must follow American School Counselors Association Ethical Standards and protect students from harm by notifying parents when a student presents signs of self-harm or suicide.