Youth suicide, school liability, suicide prevention, suicide postvention, school climate, school culture and school connectedness are among the topics covered by this course. Also discussed are issues that impact suicidal behavior, such as bullying, abuse, neglect, trauma, substance abuse, self-injury, sexual orientation, gender nonconformity, cultural heritage and mental-health disorders. By taking this course, you will learn: the difference between suicidal behavior, suicidal ideation, suicidal intent and a suicide attempt; how prevalent youth suicide is; how schools can be held liable for not properly responding to students’ suicidal behavior; what school suicide-prevention programs entail; how suicide screenings work; what suicide risk factors, triggers and warning signs are, and how to respond to them; how to talk with at-risk students; how to notify parents about their student’s suicidal behavior; when and how to connect students to mental-health professionals; what your responsibilities are in terms of confidentiality; how to respond to a suicide attempt at school; how to help a student who is returning to school after a suicide-related absence; what school suicide-postvention programs entail; how to verify a student death and disseminate factual information about it; how to reduce the risk of copycat suicides after a student kills himself; ow to help students cope with the death of a peer; what mental- health disorders are common among students and how you should respond to those disorders; how the “Three Cs” — school climate, school culture and school connectedness — impact suicide prevention; and how engagement, safety and environment shape the “Three Cs.”

This course explores the types and causes of self-injurious behaviors, including self-asphyxiation. It provides employees with an awareness of the risk and protective factors of suicide, and components of effective prevention and postvention programs.

It’s widely known that stress, anxiety and depression create challenges for both society and individuals, including interscholastic students. And severe conditions can lead to the worst outcomes, such as suicide. The NFHS is proud to bring you this course on Student Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in response to this reality. With a focus on wellness, including both physical and psychological, this course highlights causes, strategies and provides helpful resources.

This course can be combined “Suicide Warning Signs and Response” and “Suicide Interventions,” to provide a coordinated, three- module, two-hour-long, suicide-prevention curriculum. After taking this course, “Youth Suicide Awareness,” you’ll understand: your ethical and legal responsibilities regarding student suicide; the difference between various suicide behaviors, including suicidal ideation, suicidal intent, suicide attempts and actual suicide; the demographics of suicidal youth, in relation to age, gender, race, ethnicity and culture; adolescents’ cognitive and emotional capabilities; what resiliency is and the role it plays with regard to student suicide; how individual protective factors, family protective factors and external or community factors influence the likelihood of youth suicide; how risk factors — e.g., a prior suicide attempt, academic failure, substance abuse, abuse, neglect, trauma, bullying, the suicide of another person, gender-role conflict, self-injurious behavior, a fixation with death or violence, an unhealthy relationship and a mental-health disorder— can increase the likelihood of suicidal behavior; what mental-health action plans are, how they can combat student suicide, and your role in creating them; how counseling services can mitigate youth suicide; and what additional suicide-prevention resources are available to you.

This course can be combined with “Youth Suicide Awareness” and “Suicide Interventions,” to provide a coordinated, three-module, two-hour-long, suicide-prevention curriculum. After taking this course, “Suicide Warning Signs and Response,” you’ll understand: your ethical and legal responsibilities regarding student suicide; how to speak to a student at-risk for suicide; how to recognize warning signs for youth suicide; what screening procedures schools can implement to recognize students at-risk for suicide; whom you should inform when you notice a student displaying warning signs for suicide; how to speak with a student at-risk for suicide; how you should NOT respond to a student at-risk for suicide; what postvention entails and the seven steps you should take after a crisis or traumatic event; and what additional suicide-prevention resources are available to you.

This course can be combined with “Youth Suicide Awareness” and “Suicide Warning Signs and Response,” to provide a coordinated, three-module, two-hour-long, suicide-prevention curriculum. After taking this course, “Suicide Interventions,” you’ll understand: your ethical and legal responsibilities regarding student suicide; a suicide-prevention program’s three levels of interventions — universal, select and intensive; what school connectedness is and how it can decrease the likelihood for student suicide; what a school’s climate is, and how a positive climate can decrease the likelihood for student suicide; what schoolwide interventions promote school connectedness; what instructional strategies promote school connectedness; how to reduce problem behaviors in the classroom; how to eliminate barriers for learning, such as serious emotional disorders, depressive disorders, anxiety disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorders, eating disorders and conduct disorders; the stages of conflict, and how to manage and de- escalate conflict; what additional suicide-prevention resources are available to you.

The Ohio DODD periodically identifies various risks to people and offers suggestions for avoiding or minimizing these risks. This information is distributed via Health and Welfare Alerts, which are emailed to interested parties and posted on the DODD website under “Health and Welfare.” Most alerts address newly identified risks; however, some are updates/revisions of previous documents. New alerts are generated when a specific pattern or trend is identified, or when a specific risk factor comes to light through an MUI investigation and review.

This course helps educators understand the dynamics of suicide, how to recognize when students may be in need of help, and how to provide critical intervention in times of need.

This training is based on Ohio Revised Code (ORC) 3319.073 and will fulfill the Ohio Department of Education requirement for training on preventing child abuse, human trafficking, suicide, violence, and substance abuse, as well as promote positive youth development.