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The Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Program (IYSPP), formerly known as the Idaho Lives Project, was created in 2013 after the Idaho Department of Education received a three-year Garrett Lee Smith State/Tribal Youth Suicide Prevention and Early Intervention Grant (GLS) from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

In its first three years, IYSPP brought a three-layered system of support to Idaho schools and communities:

1. Training for youth in ongoing-wellness and help-seeking
2. Training in suicide prevention and support for school staff and parents
3. Suicide risk assessment and treatment training for the mental health professionals supporting their school communities

These early years also included specialized training for juvenile justice centers and targeted training for universities.

In 2016 the Idaho Legislature funded the creation of the Idaho Suicide Prevention Program housed within the Division of Behavioral Health at the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare. With the exception of K-12 school communities, the Suicide Prevention Program is tasked with supporting and coordinating Idaho’s suicide prevention efforts. The legislature stipulated that a portion of the funding be used to continue the Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Program. This established our current partnership with the Department of Health and Welfare. IYSPP received additional funding in 2018 to hire three regional coordinators to support schools implementing youth ongoing-wellness and suicide prevention programs.

In January 2020 the Idaho Department of Education again received a GLS grant for five years. In September 2020 the department received a second five-year Project Advancing Wellness and Resiliency in Education (Project-AWARE) grant, also from SAMHSA.

Today, with both state and federal funding, the Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Program provides statewide services and resources to K-12 districts and schools helping to support youth suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention efforts, as well as some services for youth up to age 24.

The project is supported by the Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator and a contracted team of subject matter experts who provide direct support to schools and districts. Three regional coordinators and trainers, located in northern, southwestern, and southeastern Idaho, are available to provide training, information, resources and other support to the schools and school communities in their regions.

School personnel spend more time with our children than any other professionals and are in a valuable position, through appropriate knowledge and action, to prevent suicide among students.

Idaho Code §33-136(3)(a) states “Each public school district shall adopt a policy on student suicide prevention. Such policy shall, at a minimum, address procedures relating to suicide prevention, intervention and postvention.”

For more information on suicide prevention for schools, see Preventing Suicide: A Toolkit for High Schools published by SAMSHA

Important factors to consider for suicide prevention in school settings include Student Well-Being, Staff Gatekeeper Training, Student Training and Student Screening.

Student Well-Being

Student Well-Being is complex as it relates to overall mental and physical health. Two aspects of importance in preventing suicide are documented by nationally-recognized suicide expert, Dr. Thomas Joiner. In his book Why People Die by Suicide, Dr. Joiner points to failed belongingness and perceived burdensomeness as the two fundamental elements involved in the desire for suicide. School personnel can play a key role in increasing student feelings of belongingness and capability/effectiveness (non-burdensomeness).

School climate, which is critical to student well-being, reflects how members of the school community experience the school and sets the tone for all the learning and teaching done in the school environment. Specific focus and effort on cultivating a supportive, and respectful school climate, through the implementation of school-wide strategies, is a key component to effective prevention measures.

Staff Gatekeeper Training

Gatekeeper trainings provide participants with critical information on identifying, intervening with, and supporting individuals who may be suicidal. Gatekeeper trainings should include all school personnel: teachers, paraprofessionals, nurses, administrators, bus drivers, administrative assistants, volunteers, cafeteria personnel, parent representatives, and anyone who has regular contact with students. Trainings must be completed before any student suicide prevention activities or curricula are in place. For gatekeeper training to be effective, best practice dictates that school personnel receive gatekeeper training annually.

For information on free gatekeeper trainings available through the Idaho Department of Education, please see the Events and Training page.

While certain elements of gatekeeper trainings are safe for youth, such as knowledge of warning signs and awareness of the hotline, gatekeeper training is not advised for youth. There are suicide prevention trainings that are safe for youth. See information about youth training below.

Gatekeeper training tools as well as a multitude of best practice prevention protocols are available on-line through www.sprc.org.

Student Training

Great care must be taken in selecting any suicide prevention-related activities, training, or curricula for students. The following are guidelines to know before implementation of any youth training or curriculum.

• Training and Curricula Type: Training or curricula should be evidence-based and carefully chosen. They should be fully researched, age appropriate, and emphasize often that there is hope and help. Curricula should include warning signs, protective factors, available school and community mental health services, and a strong message of hope. To prevent suicide, the curriculum’s purpose should help students identify and seek help from a trusted adult for themselves or a classmate.
• Caution: Training and curricula should never normalize suicide, discuss means, or share suicide statistics. Curricula content should emphasize to students that suicide is rare and that recovery from suicidal thinking is the norm. Curricula needs to address the code of silence among youth and remind them that trusted adults in their school and community are available to share concerns about a suicidal friend or themselves. Any presentations or discussions on suicide should be done in classrooms or small groups (See Training Group Size below).
• Embedded Training: Training and curricula are best embedded in mental health units within regular school classes, such as health or teen living, that routinely and sensitively address these issues.
• Adult Training Importance: Training and curricula should be presented to students only after school personnel, parents, and community mental health providers are trained as gatekeepers so they can support any youth with suicide ideation. Free training is available through the Idaho Youth Suicide Prevention Program.
• Training Group Size: Training and curricula should be presented in small groups (classrooms preferable) and with an additional adult present to watch for concerns and to provide support to vulnerable youth, while maintaining students’ rights to confidentiality. Schools should NOT hold assemblies or large group training because these do not allow for easy identification of students who may be at risk and can cause harm or activate those with mental health issues.
• Exceptions for Vulnerable Youth: Training and curricula should be carefully considered for any students who have experienced a recent death or suicide attempt themselves, in their family or friend circle, or who may be affected by a mental health issue. These youth should receive a confidential offer to opt out of this unit. If these students decide to attend, they must be carefully monitored. If they show any signs of distress or inappropriate response to the material, they should be taken to the school mental health personnel.
• Suicide Attempters as Speakers: Training and curricula should not allow students who have attempted suicide to be speakers. Other students may identify with them in an unhealthy way or see them as receiving extra attention, which may increase risk. In addition, the student presenters sometimes receive backlash from other students that causes them emotional harm.
• Cultural Competence: Training and curricula must address cultural competence as suicide affects people of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, and socio-economic groups. It is important to include the contributions, images, and experiences of diverse cultural groups. Be sure the school has access to interpreters and community mental health services that have experience with cultures/ethnic groups represented in your school.
• Parent and Community Involvement: Training and curricula will require entire school and school community support as their delivery requires sensitivity and understanding of the importance of the issue. The curriculum chosen might be presented to school staff, to community agencies connected to youth, and to parents/guardians or others who are available and trained to follow up with students. Parents/guardians should be made aware the curriculum is being taught beforehand and be invited to review it online or at a presentation; this may include back-to-school nights, brochures sent home with students, or messages from the school’s communication system.
• Student Survey: Idaho Code requires that parents/guardians provide active consent before presentation of a survey (See Idaho Code 33-6001). Training and curricula sometimes contain a self-evaluation survey to evaluate the mental health issues of students. Even with parent approval, any mental health self-evaluation is not recommended. If you choose to do so, it is imperative that the teacher/student service provider review all completed surveys before students leave for the day and take action, when needed! For some vulnerable youth, completing these self-evaluations may activate suicide ideation and heighten their risk for suicide. If a student is deemed to be at risk, the student must not be left alone, and parents/guardians must be notified immediately! Always guard the student’s right to confidentiality during this process. More information on confidentiality is available (see the Intervention Protocols section below).
• Caution During Postvention: Consult with suicide prevention experts to determine the readiness of the school and school community before conducting any suicide prevention training if within twelve months of a completed suicide that affected the school (see the Postvention Protocols).

For sample curricula, contact the Idaho Department of Education's Youth Suicide Prevention Coordinator or visit www.afsp.org, www.sprc.org, or www.samsha.gov.

For information on individual screening, please see the Screener Protocol under the Intervention Protocols section below.

Universal screening is not recommended. If you choose universal screening, exercise extreme caution as many safeguards must be in place before administering. Legal issues are likely to arise unless parents/guardians have consented to such screenings (See Idaho Code 33-6001 (7)). Any students identified by the screenings as being at risk must have access to affordable, immediate, and appropriate mental health care.

Before implementing a school-wide screening:

• Obtain written consent from all students and parents/guardians if students are minors.
• Schools should convene a working group that includes community mental health services, parents, community resource groups, school staff and support personnel, school administration, and other important representatives. This group will need to carefully determine the value of school-wide screening and connect with other schools that have completed a school-wide screening to identify pros and cons.
• All school staff need to complete a gatekeeper training before implementing any school-wide or curriculum-based screening program.
• Schools should have a working crisis team and policies/protocols for dealing with suicidal youth or staff members.
• All parents must “opt in” to any school-wide screening, be offered gatekeeper training, and be provided a copy of the screener. They must receive resources that include information about free or sliding-scale mental health services and community resource lists that provide support for daily needs.
• Schools must identify clinicians who will offer immediate assessments to students who show signs of suicidality as there may be several false positives from screening programs.
• Schools must plan how they will review all screenings before students leave school for the day.
• Schools must identify and training staff to follow up with students who screen positive so that they receive timely mental health access.