ERIC Number: EJ1161040
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017-Nov
Pages: 1
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0164-775X
EISSN: N/A
Suicide Prevention Legislation: What School Psychologists Need to Know and Do
Lieberman, Richard; Poland, Scott
Communique, v46 n3 p8 Nov 2017
Suicide is a leading, preventable cause of death in our nation for youth ages 10-24, and rates have increased slowly, but steadily since 2007. The rate of increase recorded between 2014 and 2015 for the youth 15-19 years old was the largest jump in the past decade (from 11.6 to 12.5 per 100,000) and the rate for youth 10-14 years old doubled during that 10-year span. While these data highlight a serious public health problem, we know that suicide is preventable. Since 2007, over 30 states have enacted legislation that either recommends or mandates that school districts train all personnel and have comprehensive suicide prevention policies and procedures. In a recent national webinar, the authors conducted a brief poll of thousands of participants and less than half were aware of any current legislation in their state. This paper lists the twelve states that have taken a more comprehensive approach, requiring schools to develop and adopt suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention policies where staff training is just one component of prevention strategies. It also provides ten things a school psychologist can do to help prevent suicide.
Descriptors: Suicide, Prevention, Federal Legislation, School Policy, School Psychologists, Public Health, Intervention, School Districts, Faculty Development, Elementary Secondary Education
National Association of School Psychologists. 4340 East West Highway Suite 402, Bethesda, MD 20814. Tel: 301-657-0270; Fax: 301-657-0275; e-mail: publications@naspweb.org; Web site: http://www.nasponline.org/publications/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Elementary Secondary Education
Audience: Counselors
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A