School Personnel Training Options
Suicide Prevention Education Legislation (SB 434 / HB 1061)
Senate Sponsor: Senator Eleanor Sobel, District 31
House Sponsor: Representative Bill Heller, District 52
WHAT DOES THIS LAW DO?
SB 434/HB 1061 amends the current statute to add suicide prevention education to school districts’ In-Service Master Development Plans as an option for school personnel from which to choose when deciding how to fulfill their individual professional development plan. Certificated personnel may use in-service points for re-certification purposes. Currently, a few school districts already include suicide prevention education in their district In-Service Plans. This legislation will afford the opportunity statewide to all school personnel.
The new legislation does not mandate suicide prevention training. In many cases, training does not cost anything as there are numerous free, online trainings and in-person trainings that school personnel can utilize. This law takes effect July 1, 2010.
LANGUAGE:
An act relating to student discipline and school safety; amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; requiring district school boards to provide access to suicide prevention education for instructional and administrative personnel; requiring use of resources approved by the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention; providing an effective date. Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
Section 1: Subsection (7) is added to section 100.07 Florida Statutes to read: 1006.07 District school board duties relating to student discipline and school safety.—The district school board shall provide for the proper accounting for all students, for the attendance and control of students at school, and for proper attention to health, safety, and other matters relating to the welfare of students, including:
7) SUICIDE PREVENTION EDUCATION.—Beginning with the 2010-2011 school year, provide all instructional and administrative personnel with access to educational resources regarding suicide prevention which are approved by the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention through the school district professional development plan under s. 1012.98.
ONLINE TRAINING OPTIONS:
1. Making Educators Partners in Youth Suicide Prevention
Developed by the Society for the Prevention of Teen Suicide
Access Instructions:
- Go to http://spts.pldm.com/.
- Select the second available course—the national version.
- Follow the website instructions to either create a new account, or log-in to begin the training.
- Upon completion of this accredited 2 hour activity you will receive a certificate from SPTS towards your professional development requirements.
2. Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention
Developed by the Jason Foundation
- Go to http://www.jasonfoundation.com/seminars/training/.
- If you are a first-time user, click on the “Contact Us” link. When the form opens, request a username and password in the comments section.
- If you already have an ID and password, please log-in to begin the training.
- The program run time is about 1.5 hours and is divided into 8 chapters. You may stop and return later as time permits. At the end of the program, you will be given a short assessment and a Certificate of Completion will be generated to your email address. This certificate is proof of completion of your training.
OTHER SELF-GUIDED TRAINING MATERIALS:
1. More Than Sad: Suicide Prevention Education for Teachers and Other School Personnel
Developed by The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and New York State Office of Mental Health
This training features two 25-minute films and a manual that integrates both films into a comprehensive suicide prevention program. The program is designed to comply with states that have requirements or recommendations for teacher education in suicide prevention, and can be used for group trainings or individual study. The program cost is $99.99.
More information can be found at
http://www.afsp.org/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.viewPage&page_id=B1C46D51-954E-EDE5-752B67DAAB2923C9
IN-PERSON TRAINING OPTIONS:
To see an example of an exemplary training presentation for school personnel, please view Polk County School District training, "You Can Save A Life: Youth Suicide Prevention". You may use this training as a guide to develop training materials specific to your school district and community. The presentation may be downloaded here [PDF 675KB].
To be added to the list of in-person training options below, please submit your training materials for approval to Erin MacInnes at Erin.MacInnes@myflorida.com or Allyson Adolphson at Allyson.Adolphson@myflorida.com.
| Location | Organization | Contact Info | Training Program(s) | Costs |
| Bartow (Polk County) |
Polk County Public Schools | Pamela Stein, Ed.S. (863) 534-0958 Pam.stein@polk-fl.net |
You Can Save A Life: Youth Suicide Prevention
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| Cape Coral | C.A.R.E.S. Suicide Prevention | Pedro LaTorre (239) 945-2737 pedro@caresprevention.org |
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer)
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| Coral Springs (usually serve Broward and Miami-Dade counties) | Ganley Foundation | Grace Carricarte, M.S. ED., LMHC (305) 962-2258 grace@ganleyfoundation.org |
Crusade for Awareness: Educational Presentation for School Staff
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| Fern Park, Sanford |
Seminole Behavioral Healthcare | Julie Emmer, LCSW Director of Clinical Education (407) 831-2411 x1206 jemmer@seminolecares.org Website: http://seminoleceu.org/ |
Toward A Basic Understanding of Suicidal Behavior in Young People:
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1 hour course:
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| Jacksonville (Duval County) | Daniel Memorial, Inc. | Virginia Holland |
QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) Gatekeeper Training:
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| Orlando | The Jason Foundation at University Behavioral Center | Debbie Coleman (407) 281-7000 (407) 376-6637 (cell) Debbie.coleman@psysolutions.com |
"The Silent Epidemic": Suicide Awareness and Prevention in Youth:
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| Tampa | Crisis Center of Tampa Bay | Antoinette Cillo (813) 969-4904 ACillo@CrisisCenter.com |
Suicide Talk:
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Crisis Intervention Skills Training:
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| Weston | Florida Initiative for Suicide Prevention | Jackie Rosen jrosenfisp@aol.com |
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