Suicide is the second leading cause of death for youth and young adults in Kentucky. According to the Kentucky Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 15 percent of Kentucky high school students (1 in 7) reported having seriously considered suicide within a 12-month period. In addition, 17.4 percent of Kentucky middle school students (nearly 1 in 5) reported that they had seriously considered killing themselves at some point in their lives. However, experts say that suicide can be preventable. When educators, students and communities learn warning signs and how to take action when a young person might be at risk of a suicidal crisis, lives can be saved.
Reference the Suicide Prevention Month Flyer for September being the designated awareness month.
Guidance for Student Suicide Prevention Delivery
KRS 156.095 requires that all students in grades six through twelve receive suicide prevention information before September 15 of each year and again by January 15th of each year. This information shall be provided in person, by live streaming, or via a video recording. However, experts recommend that it is important to tailor the delivery of required suicide prevention training to fit the context of the current situation. Students who are absent when the training is given should be provided with the lesson at a later date.
There is no opt-out provision in KRS 156.095(6) that allows for students (or staff) to opt out of the training requirements; however, districts have broad latitude in determining what specific training options are deployed. Districts can use a curriculum purchased from a vendor or downloaded from CHFS. If a parent or staff member has concerns that participating in the training may compromise their mental health, it's recommended that they be provided a safe place to be in during the training process, such as in the school counselor's or social worker's office, and be provided information on the resources CHFS has made available, such as accessing the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the 741741 Crisis Text Line, etc.
In response to Kentucky legislation regarding suicide prevention training and awareness for middle school and high school staff and students, the Department for Behavioral Health, Developmental and Intellectual Disabilities has prepared information about programs, training, and materials. These resources can be found in the BHDID Recommendations for School Suicide Prevention Training Toolkit.
Suicide Prevention Education for Middle and High School Staff
School district employees with job duties requiring direct contact with students in grades four through twelve shall receive a minimum of one hour of evidenced-based suicide prevention training, which includes risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, response procedures, referral, and postvention procedures. In years that training is not provided, new hires shall be provided suicide prevention materials for review. This training may be included in the four days of professional development under KRS 158.070. KRS 161.011 permits suicide prevention training for classified employees.
Youth Mental Health First Aid
As part of the Kentucky AWARE Project funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services SAMHSA, the Kentucky Department of Education is currently providing Youth Mental Health First Aid Training. Youth Mental Health First Aid teaches you how to identify, understand and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. This evidence-based 6-hour certification course gives adults who work with youth the skills they need to reach out and provide initial support to adolescents (ages 12-18) who may be in crisis or developing a mental health or substance use problem and help connect them to the appropriate care. Kentucky Department of Education is able to offer the course for free to school and community groups. Request more information by emailing ymhfainfo@education.ky.gov.