A. STUDENTS WHO MAY BE SUICIDAL
1. IMMEDIATE ACTION - In the event that a staff member
has reason to believe that a student may be suicidal or represent a potential
threat to others the following action is to be taken:
� Take all comments about suicidal thoughts seriously,
especially if details of a suicide plan are shared.
� Immediately report concerns to an administrator.
� Under no circumstances should an untrained person attempt
to assess the severity of suicidal risk; all assessment of threats, attempts,
or other risk factors must be left to the appropriate professionals.
2. RESPONSE TO A SUICIDE ATTEMPT NOT OCCURRING AT SCHOOL - When
a school becomes aware that a student or staff member attempted suicide,
the school must protect that person�s right to privacy. Should a parent
or other family member notify the school of a student�s suicide attempt,
the family should be referred to appropriate community agencies for support
services. Staff response should be focused on quelling the spread of rumors
and minimizing the fears of fellow students and staff. As opposed to convening
a Crisis Response Team meeting and alerting the student body, any services
provided to the person who attempted suicide must be kept confidential
and coordinated with outside service providers, such as a suicide crisis
counselor or hospital emergency team.
A. A Suicide Attempt Becomes A Crisis To Be Managed By School
Staff Only When One Or More Of The Following Conditions Exist:
1. Rumors and myths are widespread and damaging.
2. Students witness police action or emergency services
response.
3. A group of the attempt survivor�s friends are profoundly
affected by the suicide attempt and request support.
B. Plan of Action: When one or more of the above conditions
exists, the following should be implemented:
1. Tell the person providing the information about the
suicide attempt not to repeat it elsewhere in the school.
2. If school office staff members heard the report, tell them
to repeat or give out any information within or outside school unless they
are specifically told to do so.
3. Have the Crisis Response Team member closest to the
survivor talk to the most profoundly affected friends and determine the
type support they need.
4. Provide space in the school for the identified peers
to receive support services. Provide necessary passes to release these
students from class to receive
services.
3. SCHOOL REENTRY FOR A STUDENT WHO HAS ATTEMPTED SUICIDE -
Efforts to respond to suicide attempts and other traumas should be
focused on making the student�s return to school a comfortable one. Because
families exposed to a suicide attempt experience considerable guilt and
fear, they are more likely to disclose that a daughter or son has made
an attempt if they know the school has a helpful, non-threatening manner
of dealing with suicide.
Because a student who attempted suicide often is at greater risk for a suicide in the months following the crisis, it is extremely important to closely monitor his or her reentry into school and to maintain close contact with parents and mental health professionals working with that student.
Assuming the student will be absent from one to four weeks after a suicide
attempt and possibly hospitalized in a treatment facility, our school will
follow these steps:
1. Obtain a written release of information for signed by
the parents. This makes it possible for confidential information to be
shared between school personnel and
treatment providers.
2. Inform the student�s teachers regarding the number of probable
days of absence.
3. Instruct teachers to provide the students with assignments
to be completed, if appropriate.
4. Maintain contact with the student to keep him/her informed
of the latest developments in the school, if appropriate.
5. Seek recommendations for aftercare from the student�s therapist.
If the student has been hospitalized, a Crisis Response Team member should
attend the
discharge meeting at the
hospital.
6. The Crisis Response Team member should convey relevant
non-confidential information to appropriate school staff regarding the
aftercare plan.
7. Once the student returns to school, a Crisis Response Team
member should maintain regular contact with him/her.
8. The school should maintain contact with the parents by providing
progress reports and other appropriate information, and be kept informed
of any changes in the
aftercare plan.
4. MYTHS AND FACTS ABOUT SUICIDE
� Myth: People who talk about suicide don�t commit suicide.
Fact: Most people who commit suicide have
given clues of some type of to one or more people. It is not safe to assume
that someone talking about suicide will
not attempt it; the majority of those who attempt suicide have stated their
intent to someone.
� Myth: Suicide happens without warning.
Fact: While explicit verbal warnings are not
always given, there are clues ahead of time. The difficulty is that not
everyone recognizes the signs and symptoms
that would alert him/her to the possibility of suicide.
� Myth: Suicidal people are fully intent on dying.
Fact: Rather than specifically wanting to die, students
who attempt/commit suicide often do so simple because they have exhausted
their coping skills and see no
other options for relief from pain.
� Myth: Once suicidal, a person is suicidal forever.
Fact: Preoccupation with suicidal thoughts is usually
time-limited. Most young people who work through a suicidal crisis can
go on to lead healthy lives.
� Myth: Once a person attempts suicide, the humiliation and pain
will prevent future attempts.
Fact: Eighty percent of persons who commit suicide
have made at least one prior attempt (Hafen & Frandsen, 1986). It is
critical that concerned adults and peers
monitor a student who has
attempted suicide for several months following the attempt. Those students
who receive help for their suicidal risk before they made
an attempt have a better
prognosis than those who were intervened upon following an attempted suicide.
� Myth: Suicidal behavior is inherited.
Fact: As with other patterns of behavior,
suicide sometimes seems to run in families. However, suicide is not a genetic
trait, so it is not inherited. What can
appear to be a family trait
of suicide may be because family members share a common emotional environment
and often adopt similar methods of coping. In a
family where someone has
committed suicide, suicide may be viewed as acceptable in times of distress.
� Myth: Suicide occurs more often among the wealthy.
Fact: Suicide knows no socioeconomic boundaries.
� Myth: People who attempt or commit suicide are mentally ill/psychotic.
Fact: Many suicidal persons historically have
had difficulty in working through problems. Other people who attempt or
commit suicide choose it as an option
when their previously successful
means of coping are not effective, and they are unable to otherwise stop
the pain they are experiencing. A history of mental
illness does not increase
the risk of suicide.
� Myth: Talking about suicide can encourage a person to attempt
it.
Fact: On the contrary, initiating a discussion of
suicidal feelings may give a suicidal adolescent permission to talk about
the pain she/he is experiencing and, by so
doing, provide significant
relief. It is highly unlikely that discussing suicide would influence a
non-suicidal person to become preoccupied with the idea.
� Myth: People who attempt suicide just want attention.
Fact: Suicide should be considered a �cry
for help.� Persons overwhelmed by pain may be unable to let others know
they need help, and suicide may seem
the best way to relieve
the pain. Suicidal behavior may be a desperate move to reach out for much
needed help.
� Myth: Suicide is most likely to occur at night as well as over
the holiday season.
Fact: Suicides can occur at any time, regardless
of season, time of day or night, weather or holidays. Childhood and
adolescent suicides, however, are most
likely to occur in the spring,
and second most likely to occur in the fall. Most childhood and adolescent
suicides occur at home on weekends or between the
hours of 3 p.m. and midnight
(Eyeman, 1987; Indiana State Board of Health, 1985).
� Myth: When depression lifts, there is no longer danger of suicide.
Fact: This is a dangerous misconception. The lifting
of depression often accompanies the development of a suicide plan and the
final decision to commit suicide. If
the improvement in mood
is sudden and circumstances have not changed, the risk of suicide remains
high.
B. STUDENTS WHO MAY REPRESENT A POTENTIAL THREAT TO OTHERS
1. IMMEDIATE STEPS - In the event that a staff member has reason
to believe that a student may represent a potential threat to others, the
actions listed below are to be taken. These steps apply only to situations
in which the student is presenting no immediate threat.
� Take all comments about doing harm to others seriously,
especially if details about how the acts are to be carried out are shared.
� Immediately report concerns to an administrator.
� Under no circumstances should an untrained person attempt
to assess the severity of the risk; all assessment of threats, attempts,
or other risk factors must be left
to the appropriate professionals.
NOTE: It is important to
avoid inappropriately labeling or stigmatizing individual students because
they appear to fit a specific profile or set of early warning
indicators. It�s okay to be worried about a child, but it�s not okay to
overreact and jump to conclusions.
2. EARLY WARNING SIGNS - It is not always possible to predict behavior that will lead to violence. However, educators and parents�and sometimes students�can recognize certain early warning signs. In some situations and for some youth, different combinations of events, behaviors, and emotions may lead to aggressive rage or violent behavior toward self or others. A good rule of thumb is to assume that these warning signs, especially when they are presented in combination, indicate a need for further analysis to determine an appropriate intervention.
We know from research that most children who become violent toward self or others feel rejected and psychologically victimized. In most cases, children exhibit aggressive behavior early in life and, if not provided support, will continue a progressive developmental pattern toward severe aggression or violence. However, research also shows that when children have a positive, meaningful connection to an adult � whether it is at home, in school, or in the community � the potential for violence is reduced significantly.
None of these signs alone is sufficient for predicting aggression and violence. Moreover, it is inappropriate � and potentially harmful � to use the early warning signs as a checklist against which to match individual children. Rather, the early warning signs are offered only as an aid in identifying and referring children who may need help. School communities must ensure that staff and students only use the early warning signs for identification and referral purposes � only trained professionals should make diagnoses in consultation with the child�s parents or guardian.
3. WARNING SIGNS - The following early warning signs are presented
with the following qualifications. They are not equally significant and
they are not presented in order of seriousness. The early warning signs
include:
� Social withdrawal. In some situations, gradual and eventually
complete withdrawal from social contacts can be an important indicator
of a troubled child. The
withdrawal often stems from
feelings of depression, rejection, persecution, unworthiness, and lack
of confidence.
� Excessive feelings of isolation and being alone.
Research has shown that the majority of children who are isolated and appear
to be friendless are not violent. In
fact, these feelings are
sometimes characteristic of children and youth who may be troubled, withdrawn,
or have internal issues that hinder development of
social affiliations. However,
research also has shown that in some cases feelings of isolation and not
having friends are associated with children who behave
aggressively and violently.
� Excessive feelings of rejection. In the process of growing
up, and in the course of adolescent development, many young people experience
emotionally painful
rejection. Children who
are troubled often are isolated from their mentally healthy peers. Their
responses to rejection will depend on many background factors.
Without support, they may
be at risk of expressing their emotional distress in negative ways�including
violence. Some aggressive children who are rejected by
non-aggressive peers seek
out aggressive friends who, in turn, reinforce their violent tendencies.
� Being a victim of violence. Children who are victims
of violence�including physical or sexual abuse�in the community, at school,
or at home are sometimes at
risk themselves of becoming
violent toward themselves or others.
� Feelings of being picked on and persecuted. The youth who feels
constantly picked on, teased, bullied, singled out for ridicule, and humiliated
at home or at
school may initially withdraw
socially. If not given adequate support in addressing these feelings, some
children may vent them in inappropriate ways �
including possible aggression
or violence.
� Low school interest and poor academic performance. Poor
school achievement can be the result of many factors. It is important to
consider whether there is a
drastic change in performance
and/or poor performance becomes a chronic condition that limits the child�s
capacity to learn. In some situations�such as when
the low achiever feels frustrated,
unworthy, chastised, and denigrated�acting out and aggressive behaviors
may occur. It is important to assess the emotional
and cognitive reasons for
the academic performance change to determine the true nature of the problem.
� Expression of violence in writings and drawings. Children
and youth often express their thoughts, feelings, desires, and intentions
in their drawings and in stories,
poetry, and other written
expressive forms. Many children produce work about violent themes that
for the most part is harmless when taken in context.
However, an over representation
of violence in writings and drawings that is directed at specific individuals
(family members, peers, other adults) consistently
over time, may signal emotional
problems and the potential for violence. Because there is a real danger
in misdiagnosing such a sign, it is important to seek the
guidance of a qualified
professional�such as a school psychologist, counselor, or other mental
health specialist�to determine its meaning.
� Uncontrolled anger. Everyone gets angry; anger is a natural
emotion. However, anger that is expressed frequently and intensely in response
to minor irritants may
signal potential violent
behavior toward self or others.
� Patterns of impulsive and chronic hitting, intimidating,
and bullying behaviors. Children often engage in acts of shoving and mild
aggression. However, some mildly
aggressive behaviors such
as constant hitting and bullying of others that occur early in children�s
lives, if left unattended, might later escalate into more serious
behaviors.
� History of discipline problems. Chronic behavior and
disciplinary problems both in school and at home may suggest that underlying
emotional needs are not being
met. These unmet needs may
be manifested in acting out and aggressive behaviors. These problems may
set the stage for the child to violate norms and rules,
defy authority, disengage
from school, and engage in aggressive behaviors with other children and
adults.
� Past history of violent and aggressive behavior. Unless
provided with support and counseling, a youth who has a history of aggressive
or violent behavior is likely
to repeat those behaviors.
Aggressive and violent acts may be directed toward other individuals, be
expressed in cruelty to animals, or include fire setting.
Youth who show an early
pattern of antisocial behavior frequently and across multiple settings
are particularly at risk for future aggressive and antisocial
behavior. Similarly, youth
who engage in overt behaviors such as bullying, generalized aggression
and defiance, and covert behaviors such as stealing,
vandalism, lying, cheating,
and fire setting also are at risk for more serious aggressive behavior.
Research suggests that age of onset may be a key factor in
interpreting early warning
signs. For example, children who engage in aggression and drug abuse
at an early age (before age 12) are more likely to show
violence later on than are
children who begin such behavior at an older age. In the presence of such
signs it is important to review the child�s history with
behavioral experts and seek
parents� observations and insights.
� Intolerance for differences and prejudicial attitudes.
All children have likes and dislikes. However, an intense prejudice
toward others based on racial, ethnic,
religious, language, gender,
sexual orientation, ability, and physical appearance � when coupled with
other factors � may lead to violent assaults against
those who are perceived
to be different. Membership in hate groups or the willingness to victimize
individuals with disabilities or health problems also should be
treated as early warning
signs.
� Drug use and alcohol use. Apart from being unhealthy
behaviors, drug use and alcohol use reduces self-control and exposes children
and youth to violence, either
as perpetrators, as victims,
or both.
� Affiliation with gangs. Gangs that support anti-social
values and behaviors � including extortion, intimidation, and acts of violence
toward other students �
cause fear and stress among
other students. Youth who are influenced by these groups � those who emulate
and copy their behavior, as well as those who
become affiliated with them
� may adopt these values and act in violent or aggressive ways in certain
situations. Gang-related violence and turf battles are
common occurrences tied
to the use of drugs that often result in injury and/or death.
� Inappropriate access to, possession of, and use of firearms.
Children and youth who inappropriately possess or have access to firearms
can have an increased
risk for violence. Research
shows that such youngsters also have a higher probability of becoming victims.
Families can reduce inappropriate access and use
by restricting, monitoring,
and supervising children�s access to firearms and other weapons. Children
who have a history of aggression, impulsiveness, or other
emotional problems should
not have access to firearms and other weapons.
� Serious threats of violence. Idle threats are a common
response to frustration. Alternatively, one of the most reliable indicators
that a youth is likely to commit a
dangerous act toward self
or others is a detailed and specific threat to use violence. Recent incidents
across the country clearly indicate that threats to commit
violence against oneself
or others should be taken very seriously. Steps must be taken to understand
the nature of these threats and to prevent them from being
carried out.