Learn about suicide prevention in schools
State policies AB2246 and AB1767 mandate that public schools serving grades K-12 adopt policies addressing suicide prevention, crisis response, and student mental health. This partnership launched in 2018 in response to a needs assessment conducted with school districts on their progress with implementing these policies.
Through this partnership, the BHSD Prevention Services Division and partners provide training and technical assistance to support school districts’ suicide prevention goals. The partnership aims to prevent and reduce suicide and substance use disorders in Santa Clara County using a multi-tiered approach. This approach ensures school personnel (teachers, staff, administration) and mental health professionals are prepared to respond to crisis in response protocols and prevention best-practices in a social-emotional learning environment.
School-based prevention program includes supporting school districts’ efforts around prevention and awareness for staff, students, and caregivers. See below flyers:
Training opportunities
Suicide Prevention Training for K-12 School Personnel
Audience: District & Charter School Staff in Santa Clara County
The Suicide Prevention Program is offering the virtual, self-paced Be Sensitive, Be Brave (BSBB) training suite for school communities. These free trainings infuse culture and diversity throughout foundational workshops on suicide prevention and mental health. The Suicide Prevention training meets state prevention policy requirements (AB2246, AB1767, AB1808).
The Be Sensitive, Be Brave suite offers participants an opportunity to engage in role-play simulations, focusing on increasing comfort and competency in managing critical conversations and teaching participants how to act as eyes and ears for suicidal and mental distress.
For additional details and training access, please see the flyer.
LivingWorks Start
This training is sponsored by AB-1808 and offered through the California Department of Education for a limited time. If you are an employee or student in any public middle or high school in California, you are eligible to complete this training at no-cost. Students and staff should choose two of the three youth-specific practice scenarios at the end of the training titled "Eric", "Ali", or "Mikayla and Hailey." Students who complete LivingWorks Start are eligible to earn 90 minutes of community service hours.