Emergency Management Resource Guide

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

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:

Do acknowledge the suicide as a tragic loss of life

Do provide support for students profoundly affected by the death

Don’t organize school assemblies to honor the deceased student

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

proms, athletic events, or advertisements to the deceased individual

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.