b'After a Suicide DeathDevelopment and Implementation of a Crisis Response PlanThe crisis response team, led by a designated crisis response coordinator, shall develop a crisis response planto guide school response following a death by suicide. This plan may be applicable to all school community related suicides whether it be student (past or present), staff, or other prominent school community member. Ideally, this plan shall be developed long before it is needed.A meeting of the crisis team to implement the plan shall take place immediately following word of the suicide death, even if the death has not yet been confirmed to be a suicide.For more detailed information on responding to a suicide death, please see the document After A Suicide:A Toolkit for Schools, which was revised in 2018. Action Plan StepsStep 1: Get the FactsThe crisis response coordinator or other designated school official (e.g. the schools principal or superintendent)shall confirm the death and determine the cause of death through communication with the students parent or guardian, the coroners office, local hospital, or police department. Before the death is officially classified as a suicide by the coroners office, the death shall be reported to staff, students, and parents or guardians, with an acknowledgement that its cause is unknown. When a case is perceived as being an obvious instance of suicide, it shall not be labeled as such until after a cause of death ruling has been made. If the cause of death has been confirmed as suicide but the parent or guardian prefers the cause of death not be disclosed, the school may release a general statement without disclosing the students name (e.g., We had a ninth-gradestudent die over the weekend). If the parents do not want to disclose cause of death, an administrator or mental health professional from the school who has a good relationship with the family shall be designated to speak with the parents to explain the benefits of sharing mental health resources and suicide prevention with students. If the family refuses to permit disclosure, schools may state The family has requested that information about the cause of death not be shared at this time. Staff may also use the opportunity to talk with students about suicide. Step 2: Assess the SituationThe crisis response team shall meet to prepare the postvention response according to the crisis response plan.The team shall consider how the death is likely to affect other students, and determine which students are most likely to be affected. The crisis response team shall also consider how recently other traumatic events have occurred within the school community and the time of year of the suicide. The team and principal shall triage staff first, and all teachers directly involved with the victim shall be notified in-person and offered the opportunity for support. Another consideration related to communication after a suicide death involves educating parents and other adults on suicide grief, since adult behavior following a suicide death can have a greatimpact on students, particularly elementary school-aged students.Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention | Model Language, Commentary, and Resources 11'