The purpose of this policy is to protect the health and well-being of all the Grand Island Public Schools students by having procedures in place to prevent, assess the risk of, intervene in, and respond to suicide.
The district:
- recognizes that physical, behavioral, and emotional health is an integral component of a student’s educational outcomes,
- further recognizes that suicide is a leading cause of death among young people,
- has an ethical responsibility to take a proactive approach in preventing deaths by suicide, and
- acknowledges the school’s role in providing an environment which is sensitive to individual and societal factors that place youth at greater risk for suicide and one which helps to foster positive youth development.
The Grand Island Public Schools superintendent or designee shall develop a suicide intervention protocol and monitor a district suicide prevention team. This team will be responsible for planning and coordinating the implementation of this policy for the Grand Island Public Schools. The building administrator shall report students they believe to be at elevated risk for suicide to the district suicide prevention team.
Developmentally-appropriate, student-centered education materials will be integrated into the PreK-12 curriculum. All staff will receive annual professional development of at least one hour on risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, response procedures, referrals, postvention, and resources regarding youth suicide prevention.
In situations where a student is assessed at risk for suicide or has made a suicide attempt, the student’s parent or guardian will be informed as soon as practicable by the principal, designee, or mental health professional. GIPS staff will seek parental permission to communicate with outside mental health care providers regarding their child.
This policy will be reviewed annually by the district suicide prevention team and distributed in all student/parent and teacher handbooks and on the school website.
Legal Reference:
Nebraska Revised Statute 79-2,146
2014 LB 923 § 4
Policy Adopted: 05.14.2015 – Public Hearing
Policy revised: 03.16.2020
