Florida School Toolkit for K-12 Educators to Prevent Suicide

Specific Training Goals  Convey current statistics, beliefs, and attitudes about suicide in youth. - dispel myths about suicide - identify protective factors - stress never keeping a secret about a student’s suicidal behavior  Educate school staff members to be prepared to recognize and respond to warning signs of suicide risk.  Promote the importance of intervention with suicidal youth and connect them with the needed help. - know the school response procedures (Tool 8) - know who the suicide prevention specialist is  Provide information about mental health and prevention resources in your community.  Review the information posted on suicide prevention on the district website (Tool 29).  C onvey that suicide is almost always preventable.  Document staff attendance and understanding of key prevention concepts through pre- and post-survey. Helpful Resources • American Association of Suicidology— suicidology.org • American Foundation for Suicide Prevention— afsp.org • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention— cdc.gov • National Alliance on Mental Illness— nami.org • Suicide Awareness Voices of Education— save.org • Jason Foundation— jasonfoundation.com • The Trevor Project— thetrevorproject.org • Nova Southeastern University Suicide and Violence Prevention Office— nova.edu/suicideprevention • Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide— sptsusa.org • Suicide Prevention Resource Center — sprc.org • Florida Suicide Prevention Resource Center— sprc.org/states/florida • Florida Department of Health, Suicide Prevention— floridahealth.gov/programs-and-services /prevention/suicide-prevention/index.html • Florida Suicide Prevention Coalition— floridasuicideprevention.org • University of South Florida Toolkit— theguide.fmhi.usf.edu TOOL 3 Checklist for Effective School- Based Suicide Prevention Programs 47