Policy

Toolkits

Teacher and Mental Health Professional Roles in Prevention

Download Teacher's PDF

Download School Mental Health Professional's PDF

Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools

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After a Suicide:
A Toolkit for Schools

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Take the Video Tutorial

Toolkit for Health Promotion and Suicide Prevention

This Toolkit, from the Health Care Alliance for Response to Adolescent Depression, assists schools with promoting mental health, intervening in a mental health crisis, and supporting members of a school community after a loss to suicide.

Policy Resources

The California Department of Education (CDE)

• Model Youth Suicide Prevention Policy

  The CDE created a Model Youth Suicide Prevention Policy to assist school districts with meeting the conditions of AB2246 by developing their own board policy.

The Trevor Project

• Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention

  The Trevor Project in collaboration with the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, the National Association of School Psychologists, and the American School Counselor Association created this national Model School District Policy for Suicide Prevention, with LGBTQ+ populations in mind to assist school administrators in developing their own board policy.

California Safe and Supportive Schools

• School Climate, LCAP, and the Safe and Supportive Schools Project

  This website offers resources including trainings, tools, publications and technical assistance to support California schools with creating positive school climates as part of their school improvement plans.

Other Policy Resources

• It's Up to Us: A Guide to Using Facebook to Promote Suicide Prevention and Mental Illness Stigma Reduction

  This resource was created by practitioners and community members through Didi Hirsch. This information can assist districts with messaging responsibly through social media about suicide prevention.

• Inclusive Anti-bullying Policies and Reduced Risk of Suicide Attempts in Lesbian and Gay Youth, Journal of Adolescent Health

  This article examines the impact of anti-bullying policies that are inclusive of sexual orientation.

• School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Resources to prevent Bullying

  The Technical Assistance Center for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) offers bullying prevention resources for schools.

Suicide Prevention Resources

Maintaining a Positive School Climate

• Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports

  This is the Technical Assistance Center on Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports. This website provides information for school districts on school climate and universal, targeted, and intensive behavioral supports for students.

Suicide Awareness Activities

• Know the Signs

  Know the Signs is a California social marketing campaign emphasizing three key messages: “Know the signs. Find the words. Reach out.” This link takes you to resources and offers assistance to help increase knowledge of warning signs of suicide.

High School Clubs

• National Alliance on Mental Illness On Campus (NAMI OC)

  The National Alliance on Mental Illness is a mental health organization focused on building better lives for those affected by mental illness. NAMI OC high school clubs are student-led clubs that raise mental health awareness and reduce stigma through peer-led education and campus activities.

Mental Health Awareness

• Each Mind Matters

  Each Mind Matters is California’s mental health movement. This website includes resources and information to create your school’s campaign to raise awareness and reduce stigma associated with mental health disorders. This is important since many youth who experience suicidal thoughts also have a mental health issue.

Centers for Disease Control (CDC)

• Preventing Suicide through Connectedness

  The CDC Preventing Suicide through Connectedness resource assists schools with understanding the link between connectedness and suicide prevention.

Other Resources

• Inclusive Anti-bullying Policies and Reduced Risk of Suicide Attempts in Lesbian and Gay Youth, Journal of Adolescent Health

  This article examines the impact of anti-bullying policies that are inclusive of sexual orientation.

• Resources and activities for children/youth and parents about internet safety

  This website focuses on internet safety for schools and communities.

• School-Wide Positive Behavior Support Resources to prevent Bullying

  The Technical Assistance Center for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) offers bullying prevention resources for schools.

• Teaching Tolerance classroom activities and resources for schools

  The Teaching Tolerance website offers diversity training and resources for schools.

• The Youth Suicide Prevention School-Based Guide

  A tool that provides a framework for schools to assess their existing or proposed suicide prevention efforts (through a series of checklists) and provides resources and information that school administrators can use to enhance or add to their existing program. Funded by the Institute of Child Health Policy at NOVA Southeastern University through a Florida Drug Free Communities Program Award.

• Youth Suicide-Prevention Guidelines for California Schools

  These guidelines are available to assist schools to develop and implement plans for youth suicide prevention, intervention, and aftermath. The guidelines blend information from a variety of expert sources and are intended to help school communities in their school planning and prevention efforts. Counseling, student support specialists, and local mental health specialists should be consulted for planning and implementing school plans or for individual student referrals regarding youth suicide.

• NASSP – Promoting Mental Health in Middle Level and High Schools

  This is a website resource from the National Association of Secondary School Principals.

• American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

  The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention is a website that provides resources and aid to those affected by suicide. This website has links specifically for educators.

• Suicide Prevention Resource Center

  The Suicide Prevention Resource Center website has tools and resources to assist educators in the prevention of suicide.

• Coalition to Support Grieving Students

  The Coalition to Support Grieving Students is a website that provides resources and training modules for educators to assist with supporting grieving students.

• Didi Hirsch Mental Health Services

  Didi Hirsch is committed to providing quality mental health and substance abuse services in communities where stigma and poverty limit access. Didi Hirsch provides resources and training in suicide prevention for educators and clinicians.

• GLSEN

  GLSEN (pronounced “glisten”) is a national education organization started by teachers dedicated to ensuring safe and affirming schools for LGBTQ+ students.

• The Relationship Between Bullying and Suicide: What we Know and What it Means for Schools

  This pamphlet from the CDC explains the relationship between bullying and suicide and provides information and resources for school personnel.

• Asian American Suicide Prevention and Education

  Provides educational flyers, brochures and information in English, Chinese, Korean, Japanese and Vietnamese.

• Trevor Project

  The Trevor Project is a leading national organization providing crisis intervention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth under 25.

• Welcomingschools.org

  Welcomingschools.org is a professional development program providing training and resources to elementary school educators to embrace all families, create LGBTQ+ and gender inclusive schools, prevent bias-based bullying, and support transgender and non-binary students.