The Decorah School District will continue with suicide prevention efforts as school year opens

Not only was the suicide of a Decorah Middle School student in May a tragedy, but the timing made the response even more challenging. Middle School Guidance Counselor Lee Stock said he met with all 7th graders afterward and was impressed by the openness and good questions students asked about grief and the guilt sometimes associated with a peer suicide.  School district staff members also followed up individually with those they saw as potentially high risk students. Some students had individual counseling.  

Stock anticipates meetings this fall with each grade level at the Middle School to follow up to make sure the students know about the resources available to them.

Middle school is a focal point in mental health efforts by the Decorah School District. Guidance classes in 5th and 6th grades and health classes in 7th and 8th grades cover depression and suicide. Students heard from special guest speakers last school year.

Bullying is clearly one of the risk factors for youth who may be considering suicide. The well-established Olweus Bulling Prevention Program, that is based on  comprehensive education, clearly stated rules about bullying, and coordination with students and parents, is implemented in the elementary and middle schools.

Last school year the Decorah teachers and paraprofessionals all participated in a program based on a Youth Mental Health First Aid  curriculum that focused on tips to look for in students who may be struggling, and how to respond to those students. Some teachers followed up with more in-depth training.

At the high school level, depression and suicide units are addressed in health classes.

Although individual counseling does happen via the counselors in the schools, those positions are more focused on intervention, education, and referrals to local resources. School Superintendent Mike Haluska said it would be great to have licensed individual therapists in the schools, but that is simply not a reality, particularly given the current state of educational funding in the state.

Although there are many educational efforts in place, and school officials are comfortable that staff is well informed regarding referral and resource opportunities in the community, there are potentially some new directions. Haluska and other school officials will be meeting with Winneshiek Medical Center staff to continue evaluation of "post incident" protocols, consider new staff training opportunities and ways to bolster peer intervention efforts beyond what is promoted in high school health classes.

Haluska said that there is nothing perfect in terms of programming or strategies but that parents, schools, churches and community organizations need to collaborate and really adopt the "it takes a village to raise a child" approach when it comes to youth mental health issues. Specifically, everyone needs to help youth identify safe spots and individuals where they feel safe to share concerns. Related to that is the need to reinforce youth for sharing concerns about a troubled friend, and not feeling like they are "ratting on them" – that sharing could save a life.

Haluska also added that it easy for parents to shrug off their intuition when they know their child has something troubling them. "Don't be afraid to talk to your kids" and continue to follow through with them when they say everything is "fine."

(Special notes:  The Decorah School District has been very careful to respect the privacy of the family of the student involved in this spring's suicide.  Also decorahnews.com, by addressing issues such as education, support systems and bullying in school systems, does not intend to make any connection between them and that specific incident.)