Florida School Toolkit for K-12 Educators to Prevent Suicide

This meeting is typically conducted by the crisis response team leader and should be held as soon as possible, ideally before school starts in the morning. Depending on when the death occurs, there may not be enough time to hold the meeting before students have begun to hear the news through word of mouth, text messaging, or other means. If this happens, the crisis response team leader should first verify the accuracy of the reports and then notify staff members of the death through the school’s predetermined crisis alert system, such as email or calls to classroom phones. Remember that information about the cause of death should be withheld until the family has been contacted by school personnel. Goals of Initial Meeting Allow at least one hour to address the following goals: • Introduce the crisis response team members. • Share accurate information about the death. • A llow staff members an opportunity to express their own reactions and grief. Identify anyone who may need additional support and refer them to appropriate resources. • P rovide appropriate faculty members (e.g., homeroom teachers or advisors) with a scripted death notification statement for students. Arrange coverage for any staff members who are unable to manage reading the statement. • P repare for student reactions and questions by providing handouts to staff members on “Talking About Suicide” and “Facts About Suicide and Mental Disorders in Adolescents.” • E xplain plans for the day, including locations of crisis counseling rooms. • R emind all staff members of the important role they may play in identifying changes in behavior among the students they know and see every day, and discuss plan for handling students who are having difficulty. • B rief staff members about identifying and referring at-risk students as well as the need to keep records of those efforts. • A pprise staff members of any outside crisis responders or others who will be assisting. • R emind staff members of student dismissal protocol for funeral. • I dentify which crisis-response team member has been designated as the media spokesperson and instruct staff members to refer all media inquiries to him or her. Source: After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools (2018), by the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention ( afsp.org ) and the Suicide Prevention Resource Center ( sprc.org ) TOOL 23 Agenda for Initial All-Staff Meeting 95