Florida School Toolkit for K-12 Educators to Prevent Suicide

Ensure Safe Messaging Be aware of policies and procedures on social media sites. Appoint a Social Media Manager to assist the Public Information Manager. Utilize students as “cultural brokers” to help faculty and staff understand their use of social media. Train students in a gatekeeper role, and specifically identify what suicide risk looks like when communicated via social media. Have staff monitor social networks and provide safe messaging when important (this will require that districts not completely block these networks). Have parents get involved in their child’s use of social media. Support opportunities for memorialization. Assist your school district in developing memorialization policies (see FAQ 7 and consult the memorialization pages of the Toolkit for a host of suggestions). Encourage funeral participation with support from the family. Contribute to a suicide prevention effort in the community. Develop living memorials or primary prevention programs that will help students cope. Monitor all off campus memorial sites (see FAQ 8). Ensure responsible media reporting and safe messaging (see FAQ 9). Educate everyone about safe messaging by adopting phrase “died by suicide” to replace “committed suicide.” Work with news reporters to inform, limit details, and share the resources listed at the end of this article. Educate students on safe messaging on social media. Encourage parents, staff, community members, and the students themselves to monitor communication that is concerning and to take action to get help for adolescents in need (via a trusted adult, crisis hotlines, crisis text lines, etc.). Plan for the Long Term Follow up with all referred students in the days, weeks, and months that follow, particularly with siblings and relatives of the victim. Be mindful of planning for anniversaries, birthdays, and graduation. Debrief and evaluate the response. Collect data throughout the postvention on students referred, parent notifications, and student hospitalizations. Evaluate these data and update procedures. Remember that postvention leads back to prevention. Implement evidence-based mental health promotion programs beginning in elementary school so that communication and seeking support for mental health is something that is accepted, encouraged, and supported. Train staff annually on how to respond to students seeking assistance. Have clear procedures in place with identified staff roles for getting students help. Update mental health and suicide prevention resources. Train peers, using gatekeeper programs such as Signs of Suicide (SOS) or Question/Persuade/Refer on how to respond when a peer needs assistance. Involve parents in all aspects of suicide prevention including policy development and gatekeeper training. Implement evidence-based suicide prevention curriculum such as SOS, Sources of Strength, or Riding the Waves (see FAQ 10). Engage your community. Implement a comprehensive suicide prevention program that includes the entire community, including school officials, law enforcement officers, emergency room directors, funeral directors, clergy, public health administrators, representatives from mental health agencies, technology experts, and adolescents. Communicate with other schools in the district or geographic area (including feeder schools) and groups with whom the student was involved (e.g., clubs, sports teams, jobs, and religious organizations) that can help support survivors and identify potential contagion. Ensure that school personnel, parents, and community members are monitoring social media and other forms of preferred communication among adolescents and empowering students to reach out for help and get help for their friends and classmates. 133