School Suicide Guide Recommended

Jonathan Singer, a social work professor and past president of the American Association of Suicidology, pointed school professionals this week to a field manual on suicide prevention and crisis response in K–12 settings. (socialworldpodcast.com) The book he highlighted, *Suicide in Schools: A Practitioner’s Guide to Multi-level Prevention, Assessment, Intervention, and Postvention*, is co-authored by Singer, Terri A. Erbacher, and Scott Poland. Routledge lists the second edition as a 360-page volume first published in 2023, with the ebook released on November 30, 2023. (routledge.com) The publisher says the guide gives school-based staff step-by-step direction on screening, risk assessment, monitoring, collaborative safety planning, and reentry after a suicidal crisis. The book’s companion site says the update added COVID-19-era lessons, newer Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, a chapter on technology, and summaries of legal cases. (routledge.com) (suicideinschools.com) In school suicide work, “postvention” means the response after a suicide death or attempt: communication, support for students and staff, and steps to reduce further risk. The Suicide Prevention Resource Center’s school toolkit says effective postvention is also a first line of prevention against suicide contagion. (sprc.org) The recommendation lands as youth suicide remains one of the leading causes of death in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data show suicide was the second leading cause of death in 2024 for ages 10 to 14 and ages 15 to 24. (wisqars.cdc.gov) National school groups already push districts to formalize these procedures. The National Association of School Psychologists says its model district policy covers parental notification, reentry after an attempt, in-school and out-of-school attempts, postvention, and sample handbook language. (nasponline.org) Medical and suicide-prevention groups have built parallel guidance outside schools. The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, working with National Institute of Mental Health experts, published a Blueprint for Youth Suicide Prevention for clinicians and community partners. (aap.org) Singer’s post did not announce a new policy or mandate. It pointed practitioners toward an existing operations guide at a moment when schools, districts, and crisis teams are still updating how they prepare for suicidal risk and what they do after a student crisis. (socialworldpodcast.com) (suicideinschools.com)