Schools
Schools are a key setting for suicide prevention. Teachers, mental health providers, and all other school personnel who interact with students can play an important role in keeping them safe.
Why Address Suicide Prevention
- Maintaining a safe school environment is part of your school’s overall mission.
- Students’ mental health can affect how well they perform in school.
- Suicide can affect the entire school community.
How Schools Can Take Action
The best way to prevent suicide is to use a comprehensive approach that includes these key components:
- Promote emotional well-being and connectedness among all students.
- Identify students who may be at risk for suicide and assist them in getting help.
- Be prepared to respond when a suicide death occurs.
Learn More
- See the Recommended Resources below selected by SPRC personnel.
- See All Resources Related to Schools for a full list of materials, programs, trainings, and other information available from SPRC. Use the filters on the left to narrow your results.
- For more on other settings and groups, see our Settings and Populations pages.
Recommended Resources
After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools, Second Edition
This toolkit is designed to assist schools in the aftermath of a suicide (or other death) in the school community.
Preventing suicide: A toolkit for high schools
This toolkit provides information on how to reduce suicide risk among high school students.
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Preventing Suicide: The Role of High School Teachers
This sheet provides information and resources on suicide prevention for high school teachers.
Preventing Suicide: The Role of High School Mental Health Providers
This sheet provides information and resources on suicide prevention for high school mental health providers.
Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention: ACT on FACTS
This two-hour online training helps educators and school staff understand their role in suicide prevention and covers strategies for school suicide prevention.
All Resources Related to Schools
Displaying 206 results. Refine results using the filters on the left.
NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
New Laws Aim to Combat the Youth Mental Health Crisis. Here’s What They Do
2023
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Resource List/Bibliography
Suicide Prevention Resource Center's Best Practices Registry
2023
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Most LGBTQ Youth Can’t Access Mental Health Care. How Schools Can Help
2023
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Webinar/Training
2012 Garrett Lee Smith State and Tribal Suicide Prevention Grantee Meeting
2023
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Webinar/Training
2010 Garrett Lee Smith State and Tribal Suicide Prevention Grantee Meeting
2023
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Webinar/Training
2009 Garrett Lee Smith State and Tribal Suicide Prevention Grantee Meeting
2023
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
School Mental Health Program Eases Transition from Hospital to Classroom
2022
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Suicide Is Rising among Younger Students. Here’s How Schools Can Prevent Tragedy
2022
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
CONNECTICUT: Meet Gizmo, the Therapy Dog behind a New, National Mental Health Curriculum for Kids
2021
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Why a Focus on Mental Health Is Essential for Students Returning to School in the Fall, Experts Say
2021
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
NEW YORK: How a Hospital and a School District Teamed Up to Help Kids in Emotional Crisis
2021
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Partly Hidden by Isolation, Many of the Nation’s Schoolchildren Struggle with Mental Health
2021
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Kids' Mental Health Can Struggle During Online School. Here's How Teachers Are Planning Ahead.
2020
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
OHIO: Butler County Students Continue Fighting for Suicide Prevention from Their Homes
2020
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
WASHINGTON: Mental Health Experts Race to Help Children Cope with Stay-at-Home Life amid Coronavirus Closures
2020
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
MASSACHUSETTS: Students Often Struggle After a Mental Health Crisis. Can This Support System Help?
2020
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
CALIFORNIA: Marin Unveils First Countywide Suicide Prevention Strategic Plan
2020
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
School Tip Lines Were Meant to Stop Shootings, but Uncovered a Teen Suicide Crisis
2020
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Guidelines/Recommendations
A Model School Policy on Suicide Prevention: Model Language, Commentary and Resources
2019
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Report
Fostering Healthy Mental, Emotional and Behavioral Development in Children and Youth
2019
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Spread of a Peer-Led Suicide Prevention Program through School Networks
2019
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Preventing Suicide: The Role of High School Mental Health Providers
2019
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
WASHINGTON: Seattle High School's Suicide Prevention Team Helps Save Lives
2019
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
MINNESOTA: Thrive Range to Receive Grant Funding from Minnesota Dept. of Health
2019
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
PENNSYLVANIA: Yearbook Memorials for Suicide Victims a Delicate Subject in Valley
2019
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
After a school tragedy: Readiness, response, recovery & resources
2019
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
After Suicides of Parkland Survivors, Here's What Educators Should Know About Supporting Students
2019
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
IOWA: Number of Iowa Teens Who Considered Suicide Climbs 50 Percent in Six Years
2019
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Coping after suicide loss: Tips for grieving adults, children and schools
2019
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Two Percent of High School Students Identify as Transgender, CDC Report Finds
2019
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Child Suicides Can Be Linked to Bullying, but It's Never the Sole Cause, Mental Health Professionals Say
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
CALIFORNIA: Nearly 9 in 10 California School Districts Have Adopted Policies Preventing Youth Suicide
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
COLORADO: As Suicide Rates Rise, Colorado Is Fighting to Turn the Tide
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
IDAHO: While Suicide Rates Rise in Idaho and the Mountain West, Health Care Professionals and Grassroots Organizations Grapple with the Causes and Effects
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
PENNSYLVANIA: Making Schools Safer: Trained Security, Attention to Mental Health among Top Recommendations
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
ILLINOIS: Teens Are Anxious and Depressed, and Turning to the School Nurse for Help. But Most Illinois Schools Don’t Have One.
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
Two States Are Making Teachers Talk about Mental Health. Could This Be a Model?
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
What Educators Need to Know About Suicide: Contagion, Complicated Grief, and Supportive Conversations
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
PENNSYLVANIA: Teens Push for Better Services, Culture Surrounding Mental Health in Philly Schools
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
MICHIGAN: Inside West Bloomfield School’s Attempt to Combat Suicide, Help Students Cope
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
VIRGINIA: These Teens Saw How Poor Mental Health Hurt Their Peers. So They Got a Law Passed.
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
INTERNATIONAL: Young Victims of Cyberbullying Twice as Likely to Attempt Suicide and Self-Harm
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
MASSACHUSETTS: Stopping School Shootings Before They Start: Mental Health Experts Push for Preventive Measures
2018
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
ARIZONA: Ending the Stigma: Programs Create Conversations about Mental Health in Arizona Schools
2018
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Report
The way forward: Federal action for a system that works for all people living with SMI and SED and their families and caregivers – Full report
2017
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
WALES: Welsh Schoolchildren to Receive Early Help with Mental Health Problems
2017
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
CALIFORNIA: “It's OK to Say Suicide”: School Districts Set New Tone for Suicide Prevention Awareness
2017
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
CALIFORNIA: Under State Mandate, Glendale Unified Adopts Policy on Suicide Prevention
2017
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Making the connection: Suicidal thoughts and behaviors and academic grades
2017
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
ARIZONA: Arizona High Schools Add Suicide Prevention Numbers to ID Badges
2017
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
AUSTRALIA: ANU Rolls out Sources of Strength Suicide Prevention Program to Canberra Schools
2017
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
WYOMING: Three Years After Law Passes, Suicide Prevention Training in Schools Receives Favorable Response
2017
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
MICHIGAN: Oxford High School Students Begin Project Called “13 Reasons Why Not”
2017
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Resource List/Bibliography
Youth suicide and self-harm prevention: 2017 resource guide
2017
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
WASHINGTON, D.C.: D.C. Education Act First of Its Kind in U.S., Increases Focus on Suicide Prevention
2016
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
UTAH: Utah Officials Unsure Why Youth Suicide Rate Has Nearly Tripled since 2007
2016
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Toolkit
Tools from the CAPT: Increasing cultural competence to reduce behavioral health disparities
2016
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
NEBRASKA: New state law requires more suicide prevention training in schools
2015
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NEWS/HIGHLIGHT
PENNSYLVANIA: Suicide prevention program takes step forward in Titusville schools
2015
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Guidelines/Recommendations
Responding to Grief, Trauma, and Distress After a Suicide: U.S. National Guidelines
2015
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Article/Chapter
Healing of the canoe: Preliminary results of a culturally grounded intervention to prevent substance abuse and promote tribal identity for native youth in two Pacific Northwest tribes
2015
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Toolkit
Coming together to care: A suicide prevention and postvention toolkit for Texas communities
2015
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Don’t do it alone: A school system rises to the challenge of three student suicides
2015
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Manual
The Way Forward: Pathways to hope, recovery, and wellness with insights from lived experience
2014
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Manual
TAP 33: Systems-level implementation of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT)
2013
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Webinar/Presentation
Understanding and overcoming the challenges faced by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning and intersex youth
2012
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Webinar/Presentation
Understanding and overcoming the challenges faced by LGBTQI youth in schools and communities
2012
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Memorials: Special considerations when memorializing an incident
2011
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Resource List/Bibliography
Measuring bullying victimization, perpetration, and bystander experiences: A compendium of assessment tools
2011
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Helping children and youth who have experienced traumatic events: Mental Health Awareness Day, May 3, 2011
2011
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Article/Chapter
Postvention standards manual: A guide for a school's response in the aftermath of a sudden death
2010
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Other
The Wisconsin components of school-based suicide prevention, intervention and postvention model
2010
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Guidelines/Recommendations
Preventing suicidal behavior among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender youth: Developing LGBT cultural competence
2010
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Article/Chapter
Suicide clusters and contagion: Recognizing and addressing suicide contagion are essential to successful suicide postvention efforts
2009
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Guidelines/Recommendations
Youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention guidelines: A resource for school personnel
2009
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Guidelines/Recommendations
No longer alone: A resource manual for rural sexual minority youth and the adults who serve them
2008
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Article/Chapter
Suicide awareness training for faculty and staff: A training model for school counselors
2008
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Report
School mental health: Role of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and factors affecting service provision
2007
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
School awareness series: The role of the school board in suicide prevention
2007
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Brochure/Booklet
Finding help and working with schools: Tips for parents of teens with mental health problems
2006
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Webinar/Presentation
How do school staff benefit from gatekeeper training in suicide prevention?
2006
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Training
An adolescent mental health & wellness curriculum: A starter kit for schools
2006
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Guidelines/Recommendations
Research-based guidelines and practices for school-based suicide prevention
2006
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Guidelines/Recommendations
Sudden death-suicide-critical incident: Crisis response for principals and student services staff
2005
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Report
Youth suicide prevention: Strengthening state policies and school-based strategies
2005
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Depression in children and adolescents: Information for parents and educators
2004
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Psychotropic drugs and children: Use, trends, and implications for schools
2004
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Culturally Competent Crisis Response: Information for School Psychologists and Crisis Teams
2004
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Fact Sheet/Issue Brief
Times of tragedy: Preventing suicide in troubled children and youth, Part I, Tips for parents and schools
2001
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