A new policy for suicide awareness, training and prevention was adopted during the April meeting by the Newcastle Board of Education for Newcastle Public Schools.
The policy defines suicide saying it is “a leading cause of death among young people.” It says suicide can be prevented by the district “actively preventing suicide through awareness, effective training, outreach and prevention.”
According to the policy, training and education will be provided to all staff members on a biennial basis, and it “will include curriculum approved by the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, including how to recognize changes in behavior that may be indicative of distress, how to approach students to discuss concerns, and how to refer a parent or student to appropriate resources.”
The policy also says the district may provide training to address suicide awareness and prevention to seventh through 12th grade students.
The course outline for the training will be available on the school district’s website: www.newcastle.k12. ok.us/.
If school personnel determine that a student is at risk for attempting suicide, the parents or legal guardians of that student will be notified immediately.
Other actions include the possibility of calling 911, law enforcement, or the Department of Human Services, or providing a referral or services in good faith to a student or other youth.
The policy also establishes procedures for awareness, training and prevention which provides oversight by either the superintendent, a designee of the superintendent, a suicide prevention coordinator, for a taskforce which may have been established.
