RCOE and CDE 

To attempt to reduce suicidal behavior and its impact on students and families, RCOE has developed measures and strategies for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention -- as outlined in the following policies:

• Board Policy 5141.52 - Suicide Prevention
• RCOE Alternative Education Youth Suicide Prevention Policy

Assembly Bill 2246, which was approved September 2016, requires “…the governing board… that serves pupils in grades 7 to 12… adopt a policy on pupil suicide prevention… that specifically addresses the needs of high-risk groups,” which include:

• Youth bereaved by suicide
• Youth with disabilities, mental illness, substance use disorders
• Youth experiencing homelessness or in out-of-home settings
• LGTBQ youth

To help Local Education Agencies (LEAs) develop their own policies, the California Department of Education (CDE) collaborated with mental health professionals-- including the Student Mental Health Policy Workgroup--to create a Model Policy

AB 2639 (September 2018) updates the language of AB 2246 to ensure that Local Education Agencies (LEAs) review their suicide prevention policies “at a minimum every fifth year."

State Legislation

AB 1808 (approved June 2018)

• Education Finance: Education Omnibus Trailer Bill
  • “The department shall identify … evidence-based online training programs that a local education agency can use to train school staff and pupils … on pupil suicide prevention …”
• “State Superintendent Tony Thurmond Announces Free Statewide Online Suicide Prevention Training Program”
• Training Flyer
  

SB 972 (approved September 2018)

• Pupil and Student Health: Identification Cards, Suicide Prevention Hotline
  • Schools serving pupils in any of grades 7 to 12 … and that issues pupil identification cards shall have printed on either side of the pupil identification cards …”
    1. National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, 988
    2. Crisis Text Line, which can be accessed by texting HOME to 741741
    3. A local suicide prevention hotline telephone number

SB 906 (approved July 2023)

• Requires LEAs to include information on safe firearm storage and CA’s child access prevention laws
• Violence Prevention resources, including memoranda templates in English and Spanish.

• Restriction of Lethal Means (supported by SB 906’s requirements)
• States with higher percentage of firearms in homes have higher suicide rates
• 49% of 14- to 18-year-old suicide deaths by firearm
• 59% among males in this age group
• 82% = home as source of firearm used
• 3- to 4-fold increased risk of adolescent suicide if home has a firearm