§ 16-21.7-3. Student suicide prevention policy.
(a) Each public school district shall adopt a policy on student suicide prevention. This policy shall, at a minimum, address procedures relating to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention. For the purposes of this chapter, “postvention” means counseling, or other social care given to students after another student’s suicide or attempted suicide. Postvention also means counseling to students that have made a suicide attempt or have reported ideation; this counseling shall consist of regular check-ins. For the purposes of this chapter, “regular” means a frequency as determined by a licensed mental health professional.
(b) To assist school districts in developing policies for student suicide prevention, the department of education shall develop and maintain a model policy, or adopt an existing policy as a model policy, to serve as a guide for school districts in accordance with this chapter to include, but not limited to: parental notification procedures, clarification of engagement with student support personnel, and language defining an in-school issue compared to an out-of-school issue.
History of Section.P.L. 2021, ch. 131, § 1, effective July 2, 2021; P.L. 2021, ch. 132, § 1, effective July 2, 2021.
Structure Rhode Island General Laws