| Section: | 5000 Students | | Policy Name: | REGULATION Suicide Prevention | | Policy Number: | 5141.51 REG | | Date Approved: | 6/11/1990 | | Last Revised: | 12/13/2004 |
Plainville’s Administrative Regulations and Guidelines for Youth Suicide Prevention include three components. The first is an Educational Component, which promotes a learning environment that is physically and mentally healthy for students and staff and informs parents and interested community members about Youth Suicide Prevention.
The second is an Intervention Component, which recognizes factors affecting youth suicide and provides a plan of leadership and action for times of crisis or whenever a student is vulnerable, at-risk or in clear and imminent danger.
The third is an Evaluation Component, which is necessary to determine whether the plans and actions implemented within the Education and Intervention Components are effective and appropriately updated to incorporate changes in knowledge, personnel, student and family needs, and community resources.
The Education Component
The major goals of the educational component are: (1) the promotion of health and well being for all children and youth, and (2) early recognition of those students who are vulnerable to becoming at-risk or who may already be at-risk for suicide. The three subcomponents are:
♦Staff Development
♦Educational Programs for Students
♦Parent and Community Awareness/Education
1. Staff Development-A program to educate and prepare school staff in suicide prevention and early recognition shall be the first educational subcomponent to be planned and implemented. Characteristics of the staff development programs should include but not be limited to the following:
A. Utilization of a collaboration with school and community professionals with clinical expertise in child and adolescent mental health.
B. Involvement of all school staff in appropriate aspects of the program.
C. Promotion of staff involvement in efforts to create and maintain a healthy school environment.
D. Inclusion of accurate information about the factors that may increase a student’s risk of suicide.
E. Preparation of staff to recognize the presence of risk factors and the signs and symptoms of stress, coping difficulties, depression, self-destructive behaviors and the potential for suicide in individual students.
F. Clear delineation of the procedural guidelines for every staff member to follow whenever a concern is identified, a student is identified as vulnerable to developing risk factors, a student is suspected to be at-risk or a crisis has occurred.
G. Information on school and community resources.
H. Clear delineation of the rules and functions of specific school personnel in youth suicide prevention programs.
I. Provisions for continuing in-service education, incorporation into the district’s professional development plan and orientation of new staff.
2. Educational Programs for Students-General characteristics of classroom and related educational programs for students should include but not be limited to:
A. Involvement of all students in the effort to establish and maintain a healthy, supportive school environment.
B. Emphasis on primary prevention and health maintenance.
C. Developmentally appropriate goals, objectives and learning activities.
D. Elementary programs designed to foster the development of self-esteem, effective problem-solving and coping skills, and trusting relationships with adults.
E. Secondary programs designed to foster continued development of self-esteem and skill building in stress management and problem-solving techniques, and to identify and promote utilization of school and community resources for support and intervention.
F. Learning experiences which enable youth to identify and seek help for peers who may be vulnerable or at-risk.
G. Recognition of the strengths and appropriate roles of students in identifying and referring their peers who may be at-risk and of the strengths and limitations of students in supporting their peers who may be at-risk.
H. Extreme care not to glamorize suicide and other self-destructive behaviors or to categorize them as alternative solutions to problems.
I. Integration into comprehensive health and other pertinent curriculum.
J. Provisions for periodic review of the curriculum and student participation in the review process.
3. Parent and Community Awareness/Education-Involvement of parents and other interested members of the community in the youth suicide prevention program, including dissemination of these policies and procedures, are essential. This can be achieved through training sessions on youth suicide prevention, forums for discussion of related issues with school and community experts and written communications. Parents/community education may include:
A. Information on the school district’s suicide prevention program, policies, procedures and curriculum.
B. Role of the parent with emphasis on prevention.
C. Skills for enhancing self-esteem and positive coping and communication skills in children and youth.
D. Information on risk factors and warning signals of suicidal behavior.
E. Information on circumstances and organizations, which may encourage youth suicide.
F. Information on school and community resources.
G. Opportunity for participants to meet both school and community health and mental health professionals individually or in small groups to discuss specific issues or questions.
The Intervention Component
The Intervention Component is multifaceted and includes two district levels of intervention. The first level is aimed at individual students who are vulnerable, at-risk for suicide, or who have expressed or attempted suicide. The second level of intervention is aimed at the school-wide community, or a portion thereof, following a crisis or completed suicide. The prevention of youth suicide is the goal of each level of intervention. It is accomplished through a collaborative effort involving school personnel, community mental health professionals, and individual family members.
Plainville’s Administrative Regulations and Guidelines for Youth Suicide Prevention include, but are not limited to, the following student intervention strategies and services:
1. Identification, assessment, management and referral of students in crisis;
2. Monitoring and support services for those students who are vulnerable and at risk, and;
3. Post-intervention and school-wide crisis intervention planning for students and staff following an attempted suicide or death of another.
1. Identification, Assessment, Management and Referral
A. Whenever a staff member becomes concerned that a student may be vulnerable, at risk, or in clear and imminent danger of a self-destructive act, that staff member is expected to immediately inform and consult with the building principal or their designee.
B. One pupil specialist (school psychologist, social worker or school nurse), legally qualified and appropriately trained to access the health or mental health status of children and youth, shall be designated to direct all intervention services for individual students identified as potentially at risk or in crisis.
C. A Crisis Intervention Team consisting of the administrator, the designated pupil personnel
specialist, and one other staff member as needed (nurse, guidance counselor, Special Education
Director or Special Education Program Specialist) will meet to plan interventions.
D. Two members of the Crisis Intervention Team will conduct a safety interview of the student, as
well as an interview of anyone else who may have relevant information (parents, reporter, etc.)
to confirm the accuracy of the report and to help develop a preliminary action plan.
E. Under no circumstances should a student at risk, in clear and imminent danger or in crisis be left alone. Arrangements should be made for a staff member to be with the student at all times until services are obtained.
F. After completing the above, if the Crisis Intervention Team determines that a student is at-risk or in clear and imminent danger of a self destructive act, the school principal would inform the parents or guardians and immediately schedule a conference for the same day.
(1) During the conference, the parent or guardian will be advised to seek
immediate medical assistance.
(2) Under no circumstances is a student allowed to go home alone. The student
may be released only to a parent, guardian, or other responsible adult.
(3) If reasonable attempts to reach the parent, guardian or other responsible adult
are not successful, and/or if the student is age eighteen or older, the case will be
treated as a medical emergency and arrangements will be made to transport the
student to an area hospital emergency room or mental health facility.
(4) If the student requires emergency medical attention and parents/guardian have
been contacted, the student may be transported immediately to an area hospital
and the school nurse will arrange to have the parents or guardian meet the student
at the hospital.
G. A detailed report will be written by the principal or their designate and filed with the Superintendent of Schools and the Director of Pupil Services within twenty-four hours. The report shall include:
(1) Name, grade and address of student
(2) Names and titles of team members involved
(3) Time, date and summary of all meetings regarding this incident
(4) Recommendations made to parents, student, and building staff
H. A designated member of the Crisis Intervention Team will maintain contact with any outside mental health agencies involved with the student to coordinate support services and follow-up procedures.
I. If, as a result of suicidal activity, a need exists for a change in the student’s program, a meeting with the parents or guardian, school staff, appropriate outside facility professionals and the student, if feasible will be convened to plan the student’s educational program in accordance with identified needs.
J. Failure on the part of the family to take seriously and provide for the safety of the student in case of potential suicide will be considered emotional/medical neglect and reported to the Department of Children and Families as required by state statute. (cf.5141.4 – Child Abuse/neglect)
2. Monitoring and Support Services
In order to intervene and to provide necessary follow-up activities to vulnerable and at risk students, support services and programs provided by legally qualified and appropriately trained school and community mental health and health professionals should be considered for these students at all grade levels and ages.
Alternative methods and programs to provide support and/or follow-up services to vulnerable and at- risk students might include:
(1) In-school support groups
(2) Individual school counseling and support activities
(3) Group counseling by appropriate school personnel
(4) Advisor/Advisee participation
(5) Collaborative programs and activities with community agencies and staff
(6) Transition and topical support groups
(7) Educational support and program planning
(8) PPT and special education intervention, if necessary
The support services identified above do not constitute treatment of the students who are at-risk for suicide but are designed to support their treatment.
3. Post-Intervention and Crisis Intervention Planning
In addition to interventions for individual students, the Crisis Intervention Team shall be convened by the principal in event of an attempted suicide or related crisis, which impacts on other students and/or staff in the building.
The Crisis Intervention Team will meet to review and assess the extent of the crisis and to develop a post-intervention plan for implementation in the event of a completed suicide. The post-intervention plan should include provisions for:
- Parent/family communications
- Parent authority to release records
- Communication with staff
- Communication with students
- Support for concerned peers
- Specific programs/services for staff and students following the death of a student or staff member
- Utilization of community experts (i.e., mental health, clergy, youth services, etc.)
- Special monitoring and support of at-risk students
- Designation of a spokesperson and the procedures for communication with the media, if applicable
- Provisions for appropriate documentation (with sufficient copies for parents and central administration). A written report shall be prepared by the principal or their designee and forwarded to the Superintendent and Director of Pupil Services within 24 hours. The report will include as a minimum:
(1) Name, grade and address of student
(2) Names and titles of Crisis Intervention Team members
(3) Time and date of all Crisis Intervention Team with appropriate summaries of each meeting
(4) Summary of actions and recommendations to parents, students and building staff
The Evaluation Component
1. The major goal of the Evaluation Component is to insure that the plans and actions
implemented within the Youth Suicide Prevention Program are effective and
appropriately incorporated changes in knowledge, personnel, student and family
needs, and community resources.
2. Formal evaluation and subsequent revision of the Educational and Intervention
subcomponents and the program as a whole, shall be undertaken routinely in
accordance with Board policy regulating such review to insure the continuation of a
responsible, responsive and coordinated program.
An informal review and evaluation shall be conducted annually by each building’s crisis intervention team to assess the program’s procedures and processes and to insure its viability and effectiveness in their respective buildings.
Subsequent procedural changes and/or recommendations for policy revision should
be presented to Administrative Council and the Board of Education for review and consideration through the building principal.
Legal References:
Connecticut General Statutes
§10-16b (a) Prescribed courses of study
§10-220a (a) In-service training. Professional development
§10-221 (e) Boards of Education to prescribe rules, policies and procedures
|
|
|