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Every school should have a crisis plan that includes content on responding to suicidal behavior. It is important to find out:

Does your school have a crisis plan?
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Who at your school has a copy of the plan?
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Does the staff receive annual refreshers on the protocols for responding to suicidal behaviors?
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If the school’s plan does not include content on how to deal with suicidal behavior, who can work with you to ensure that guidelines will be included?
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If the administration at your school is reluctant to develop a crisis plan that includes responding to suicidal behaviors, you can address your concern with the school board.

A sample crisis response plan is available by contacting YSPP at 206 297-5922.

After a Suicide

YSPP encourages schools to have postvention guidelines so they may respond appropriately if a youth completes suicide. It's best to have a postvention plan in place before a death occurs.

The American Association of Suicidology offers a complete set of guidelines (School Suicide Postvention Guidelines, $18, available at www.suiciology.org) on communicating with a bereaved family, students, parents and the media. The guidelines include a sample letter to parents, a sample fact sheet and approaches to challenging issues which may arise.