27 Currents Serving Youth CLIMBING S.T.E.P.S. I have responded to invitations to present on suicide prevention more than 1,000 times across every state and many foreign countries. Millions of Americans have lost a loved one to suicide. Across the globe, sources say that one life is lost to suicide every 40 seconds. I am a survivor of my father’s suicide and can attest that over the years, I have found that suicide prevention is most often driven by survivors. Closing every presentation with a success story—and providing an example of a suicide that was prevented because someone identified the warning signs and took action to save a life— reminds us that we can all feel empowered to prevent a suicide. School personnel across Florida often request training, and I have always provided consultation to schools after the loss of a student to suicide. The data provided by the state about the percentage of middle and high school students in Florida who have thoughts about suicide, made a plan to die by suicide, or even have made a suicide attempt is alarming. I saw the need for increased training and guidance for the Florida K–12 public and private schools, so I created the Florida School Toolkit for Educators to Prevent Suicide, also known as Florida S.T.E.P.S. A contributing author was NSU College of Psychology doctoral student Catherine Ivy. TOOLS AND TOPICS • leadership checklist and plans • initial all-staff meeting agenda • policy development prompts • training documentation form • training surveys • suicide prevention plan • suicide intervention plan • suicide postvention plan • at-risk response procedures • myths, facts, and risk factors • social media notes • parental involvement • suicide assessments/screening • role-play: suicide assessment • role-play: parent notification • suicide risk report • safety plan • form for emergency steps, parent notification, and aid referral(s) • reentry checklist and monitoring • postvention checklist • frequently asked questions (FAQs) SCOTT POLAND, ED.D. Professor, NSU College of Psychology, and Director, NSU Suicide and Violence Prevention Office Recipient of a $335k grant awarded by Florida Blue Foundation to produce and more widely distribute Florida S.T.E.P.S. • Suicide is the second leading cause of death among middle and high school age youth. • Suicide rates have increased for elementary school age youth. • Florida S.T.E.P.S. has now been shared with every Florida K–12 district and is available online. (View the book by scanning the QR code on this page.) • Reprints and distribution of the 186-page resource have helped increase training and guidance for 1,500 Florida K–12 public and private schools. DID YOU KNOW?
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