Emergency Management Resource Guide

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Emergency Management
    ∙ Checklist
∙ Universal Procedures
∙ After Action Review

Emergency Response
   ∙ Accidents at School
   ∙ AIDS/HIV Infections
   ∙ Aircraft Emergency
   ∙ Allergic Reaction
   ∙ Assault
   ∙ Bomb Threat
   ∙ Bomb Threat-School Report
   ∙ Bus Accident
   ∙ Chemical Hazardous Spill
   ∙ Death or Serious Illness
   ∙ Earthquake
   ∙ Fire
   ∙ Gas Leak
   ∙ Hostage Situation
   ∙ Kidnapping
   ∙ Poisoning
   ∙ Rape/Sexual Abuse
   ∙ Suicide
   ∙ Threat of Harm
   ∙ Trespasser/Intruder
   ∙ Weapons
   ∙ Weather Emergency

Recovery
           ∙Emotional Recovery
              ∙Academic Recovery
              ∙Physical Recovery
             ∙ Business Recovery

   ∙ Info Sheet for Parents
   ∙ Follow Up to Emergencies
   ∙ Teachers Helping Children
   ∙ Disasters/Effects
   ∙ Age Approp CISM
   ∙ Talking Method
   ∙ Drawing Method
   ∙ Stress Concerns
   ∙ Classmate Tragedy
   ∙ Caring for Caregiver
   ∙ Students Attending Funeral
   ∙ Memorials
   ∙ Suicide
   ∙ Critical Incident Stress M

Suicide

School's Response to Suicide

A school’s general response to a suicide does not differ markedly from a response to any death. However, some issues exclusive to suicide require specific attention.

School administrators must allow students to grieve the loss of a peer without glorifying the method of death. Over emphasis on a suicide may be interpreted by vulnerable students as a glamorization of the suicidal act. In rare cases this can trigger other individuals with similar tendencies to consider suicide as a viable option.

The following "Do's" and "Don'ts" will help school staff limit glamorization of suicide:

c Do acknowledge the suicide as a tragic loss of life

c Do provide support for students profoundly affected by the death

c Don’t organize school assemblies to honor the deceased student

c Don’t dedicate the yearbook or yearbook pages, newspaper articles,

proms, athletic events, or advertisements to the deceased individual

c Don’t pay tribute to a suicidal act by planting trees, hanging engraved plagues
or holding other memorial activities

A suicide in the school community can heighten the likelihood, in the subsequent weeks, of "copycat" suicide attempts and threats among those especially vulnerable to the effects of a suicide. To prevent further tragedies, students considered to be especially susceptible to depression/suicide must be carefully monitored and appropriate action taken if they are identified as high risk. These efforts require an intensive one on one intervention rather than a school wide response.