ALABAMA: Athens School Board Approves Youth Suicide Prevention Policy
December 08, 2017
The Athens, Alabama, school board has approved a policy for preventing youth suicide. The policy calls on schools to train all certified personnel in suicide prevention, teach students about the warning signs for suicide, and provide information on crisis intervention and other resources to the school community. It also has provisions for supporting suicide attempt and loss survivors. “We have trained counselors in every one of our schools,” said Superintendent Trey Holladay. “Our counselors will be able to enact suitable parts of the policy for each grade level.” Following the Alabama legislature’s 2016 passage of the Jason Flatt Act, all public schools serving kindergarten through grade 12 must develop suicide awareness and prevention policies, staff training programs, and student curricula. The Jason Flatt Act has been passed in 18 other states.
Spark Extra! Learn more about suicide prevention in Alabama and the Jason Flatt Act.