b'from speaking out in the classroom and may restrict or even eliminate vital safe spaces and affirming resourcesfor LGBTQ youth, including activities, clubs, and discussions that support LGBTQ students. Research showsthat schools that eliminate gender-based practices (e.g., battle of the sexes at pep rallies, gender-based dress requirements for school performances) provide a relatively more inclusive environment for LGBTQ students to feel welcome and affirmed. 24Laws seeking to protect LGBTQ youth from the dangerous and discredited practice of conversion therapy are also important in affirming LGBTQ youth.District LiabilitySchools have been sued and found liable for failing to take proper action to protect students, and for failingto notify parents and guardians when a students suicide risk was evident and an untoward outcome occurred.The key issues in court cases have been foreseeability and negligence, and have included cases in which schools did not warn parents and guardians about both verbal and written statements about suicide, as well as cases in which the school failed to provide supervision and counseling for at-risk students. 25Schools have a responsibility to intervene in situations in the school environment that exacerbate a students risk, particularly when the risk was known to the school. Schools have been sued over more complex issues, such as school climate and failure to reduce bullying, that were claimed to contribute to the suicide of a student.As the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has emphasized, schools have legal obligations under anti-discrimination laws. In most states, and under all professional organizations ethical codes, once a school knows or reasonably should know of possible student harassment, it must take immediate action to investigate, take steps to end the harassment, eliminate a hostile environment, and prevent its recurrence. 26Messaging and Suicide Contagion Research has shown a link between certain kinds of suicide-related media (including social media) coverage and increases in suicide deaths. Suicide contagion has been observed when the number of stories about individual suicides increases, or when a particular death is reported in great detail. The coverage of a suicide death being prominently featured in a media outlet or on social media, or headlines about specific deaths being framed dramatically have also been observed to contribute to suicide contagion. Research also shows that suicide contagion can be avoided when the media reports on suicide responsibly, suchas by following the steps outlined in Recommendations for Reporting on Suicide at ReportingOnSuicide.org, as well as through the National Association for School Psychologists media guideline: Responsible Media Coverage of Crisis Events Impacting Children and Youth. Contagion can play a role in cases of self-harm behavior. These behaviors may originate with one student and can spread to other students through imitation. Because adolescents are especially vulnerable to the riskof contagion, in the case of a suicide death it is important to acknowledge the students death in a way that does not inadvertently glamorize or romanticize either the student or the death. Schools can do this by seekingopportunities to emphasize the importance of seeking help for self or others when there is concern about underlying mental health issues, such as depression or anxiety, and provide resources on where to seek help. Although many people who die by suicide do have a diagnosible or known underlying mental health issue, schools can also help students understand the importance of recognizing the signs of suicide, building Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention | Model Language, Commentary, and Resources 23'