FILE:  JGDA

SUICIDE PREVENTION

The Plaquemines Parish School Board, in recognition of the need to protect the health, safety and welfare of its students, to promote healthy development, to safeguard against the threat or attempt of suicide among school aged youth, and to address barriers to learning, wishes to assist other federal, state, and local efforts to provide youth with prevention education, early identification and intervention, and access to all local resources to promote health and prevent personal harm or injury.

PREVENTION EDUCATION

Students shall receive age appropriate lessons in their classrooms through health education on the importance of safe and healthy choices, as well as help seeking strategies for self or others.  Lessons shall contain information on comprehensive health and wellness, including emotional, behavioral and social skills development.  Students who are in need of intervention may be referred to the Crisis Response Team (Crisis Coordinator, School Counselor, Social Worker, Psychologist, School Nurse, Administrator, and parent) team for screening and recommendations.

STAFF TRAINING AND RESPONSIBILITIES

All staff members shall be responsible for safeguarding the health and safety of students and are expected to exercise sound professional judgment, err on the side of caution, and demonstrate extreme sensitivity throughout any crisis situation.  All school personnel should be informed of the signs of youth depression/suicide.

To comply with state statutory provisions, all teachers, school counselors, principals and other school administrators, for whom such training is deemed beneficial as determined by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, will participate annually in at least two (2) hours of in-service training in suicide prevention.

SUICIDE THREATS, ACTS, OR ATTEMPTS

A suicide threat, is any verbal or non-verbal communication that the individual intends to harm him/herself with the intention to die, but has not acted on the behavior.  Any staff member who is originally made aware of any threat or witnesses any attempt towards self-harm, that is written, drawn, spoken or threatened, shall immediately notify the principal or his/her designee.  Any threat in any form must be treated as real and dealt with immediately.  No student should be left alone, nor confidences promised.  Thus, in cases of life threatening situations a student’s confidentiality shall be waived.  The Superintendent and/or staff personnel shall maintain pertinent suicide crisis response procedures that will be implemented in any instance of possible suicide or other life-threatening situations.

A suicidal act or attempt, is a potentially self- injurious behavior for which there is evidence that the person probably intended to kill himself or herself; a suicidal act may result in death, injuries, or no injuries.  A suspected suicide or suicide completion, is death from injury, poisoning, or suffocation where there is initial indication evidence that a self-inflicted act may have led to the person’s death.  The first district employee on the scene shall immediately call for help from another staff member, locate the individual and follow district emergency medical procedures, such as calling 911, and the other suicide crisis response procedures maintained by the district and school.

MEMORIALS

It is recognized that grieving individuals need a variety of opportunities to personally express their emotions and reactions to this type of death.  Recommendations and ideas for a memorial should be taken into consideration and discussed with the Crisis Response Team staff prior to being implemented.

New policy:  April, 2010

Adopted:  November 1, 2010

Ref:    La. Rev. Stat. Ann. §17:437.1

Board minutes, 5-11-09

Plaquemines Parish School Board