Suicide Prevention - Bellevue School District

Suicide is the leading cause of death among school-age youth. However, suicide is preventable. Youth who are contemplating suicide frequently give warning signs of distress. Parents, teachers, and friends are in key positions to pick up these signs and get help. It is important to take these warning signs seriously and never keep them secret. When all adults and students in the school community are committed to making suicide prevention a priority, and are empowered to take the correct actions, we can help youth before they engage in behavior with irreversible consequences.

Topics in this section:

Suicide Prevention Support
Basic Definitions
Common Symptoms, Behaviors, Risk Factors
Learn More About Suicide Prevention
District Policies and Procedures
How Are Students With Thoughts of Suicide Identified?
BIMAS2 and MHAT FAQs
Learn About Other Mental Health Topics

In This Section

Suicide Prevention Support

Community, State, and National Agencies

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-8255
Nacional de Prevención del Suicidio: 1-888-628-9454
Crisis Connections 24-hour Crisis Line: 1-866-427-4747
Crisis Text Line: Text HOME to 741741
BIPOC Crisis Text Line: Text STEVE to 741741
Crisis Text Line en Español: Envía AYUDA en un texto al 741741
The Trevor Project (for LGBTQ youth): 1-866-488-7386 or Text START to 678678
Trans Lifeline: 1-877-565-8860
Teen Link: Call or Text 866-833-6546 (Evenings from 6pm-10pm)
Seattle Children’s Hospital Emergency Department: Call 206-987-8811 or Visit 4500 40th Ave NE, Seattle, WA 98105

School Counselors

School counselors are available at every Bellevue school to support students in need of immediate assistance for thoughts of suicide. School counselors are trained in our suicide intervention procedures are often the first responders to reports of a student thinking about suicide. Counselors can help students with short-term concerns and help facilitate access to more long-term help.

Mental Health Assistance Team (MHAT)

MHAT counselors are available at every high school, middle school and choice school. They help provide the Signs of Suicide Lesson in grades 7-10, as well as provide the BIMAS2 screen for students in grades 7 through 11. The MHAT counselors are also trained in the district procedures around suicide intervention.

Learn more about how the Bellevue Schools Foundation funds the Signs of Suicide (SOS) program.

School-Based Community Mental Health Counselors

In addition to the school counselors and MHAT counselors, the Bellevue School District partners with multiple community-based mental health providers to support students after initial reports of suicide thinking. Counselors from these agencies can provide counseling in the school to help students in need. Contact your school counselor or MHAT counselor to request these services. Bellevue contracts with the following agencies:

Asian Counseling and Referral Service (ACRS)
Consejo Counseling and Referral Service
Sea-Mar Community Health Center
Sound Health
Youth Eastside Services (YES)

Basic Definitions

Suicide: Death caused by injuring oneself with the intent to die.

Suicide Attempt: When someone harms themselves with any intent to end their life, but they do not die as a result of their actions.

Non-Suicidal Self Injury (NSSI): Self-injurious behavior not associated with intent to die. Intent for NSSI may be to relieve distress, communicate feelings, etc.

Risk Factors: Characteristics or conditions that increase the chance that a person may try to end their life.

Warning Signs

Often looks or sounds like a sudden, significant change in behavior or the presence of entirely new behaviors. The new or changed behavior can be related to a painful event, loss, or change. Most people who take their lives exhibit one or more warning signs, either through what they say or what they do.

Protective Factors

Characteristics or conditions that reduce a risk factor’s impact or decrease the chance that a person may try to end their life.

Coping Skills

An action, set of actions, or thought process that decreases tension and anxiety in a stressful or unpleasant situation. Coping skills can be both positive (i.e., adaptive), for example, taking time to meditate or exercise in the middle of a hectic day; or negative (i.e., maladaptive, avoidant).

Common Symptoms, Behaviors, Risk Factors

Below are some common symptoms associated with thoughts of suicide both at home and at school.

Home Risk Factors

Health:

Environmental:

Historical:

Home Warning Signs

Talk:

Behavior:

Historical:

Mood:

Warning Signs at School

Change in interaction with friends in class
Victim of assault or bullying
Talking, reading, or writing about death/suicide
Poor attendance
Acting out in class
Difficulty concentrating
Withdrawal from activities and sports
Feeling embarrassed or humiliated
Unwillingness to seek help from teachers/staff
Poor grades and work completion
Use of alcohol or drugs at school
Skipping classes
Tardiness to school

Learn More About Suicide Prevention

Suicide Is Different
Your Language Matters – how to talk about mental health and suicide
Suicide Prevention
Suicide Prevention Information
How to Ask Someone About Suicide
My Friend is Suicidal: What Should I Do?
Managing Suicidal Thoughts

District Policies and Procedures

The Bellevue School District has enacted several policies and procedures to support suicide prevention and intervention.
They include:

2145 – Suicide Prevention Policy (PDF)
- Establishes policy for staff training and student support
2145P – Suicide Prevention Procedure (PDF)
- Establishes procedures for prevention, intervention, and community resources
2145P Exhibit A – Suicide Intervention and Prevention Protocol (PDF)
- Provides a flowchart of important steps to take for school staff to follow when a suicide concern arises
2145P Exhibit B – Suicide Intervention Form (PDF)
- Documentation used in supporting student around suicide concerns
2145P Exhibit C – Safety Plan (PDF)
- A template for developing school-based safety plans to support students identified at risk
2145P Exhibit D – Re-Entry Meeting Guidance (OPTIONAL)
- Provides procedures for student re-entry after suicide assessment and/or hospitalization
2145P Exhibit E – Reducing Access to Lethal Means (PDF): English | Español | 简体中文
- Guidance for parents/guardians on how to reduce suicide risk at home
2145P Exhibit F – Re-Entry Guidance for Families (PDF): English | Español | 简体中文
- Guidance for parents/guardians on how to support student’s return to school

How Are Students With Thoughts of Suicide Identified?

Several district initiatives exist to identify students with thoughts of suicide, provide them with support, and improve outcomes.

Signs of Suicide (SOS) Lesson

The SOS lesson is an Evidence-Based Practice developed by MindWise that is provided to students grades 7 through 10. The goal of the lesson is to encourage help-seeking behavior through the ACT technique: Acknowledge signs of suicide in a friend, show your friend that you Care, and Tell a trusted adult. The lesson contains videos of adolescents sharing their stories about their struggles and getting help. The lesson includes brief discussion items as well as an “exit ticket” that students complete at the end of the lesson. On this ticket students can request to talk with a trusted adult about their own challenges or the challenges of a friend.

Behavior Intervention Monitoring and Assessment System 2 (BIMAS2) Screen

The BIMAS2 screen is an online self-report survey developed by Edumetrisis that is provided to BSD students in grades 7 through 11. The BIMAS2 screen is a 34-question self-report that asks students about their perceptions about their own anxiety, depression, conduct problems, and self-harm. It also asked about their functioning in social situations, school, and thinking abilities. Students who report thoughts of self-harm automatically receive a secondary suicide risk screen using the district procedures (2145P Exhibit A & 2145P Exhibit B). The results of the BIMAS2 for your child are available upon request. Parents are contacted when concerns arise about safety.

BIMAS2 and MHAT FAQs

What role do schools have in preventing suicide?

On average, approximately 1 out of 6 high school students engage in serious suicidal ideation (the formation of ideas or concepts), 1 in 8 make a suicide plan, and 1 in 14 make a suicide attempt.* The annual percentage of all hospital visits for suicidal ideation and attempts among children and adolescents almost doubled from 2008 to 2015, particularly among youth ages 12-17. As of 2017, the CDC found that more teenagers and young adults annually die from suicide than die from cancer, heart disease, HIV/AIDS, birth defects, stroke, pneumonia and influenza, chronic lung disease, and other medical conditions combined.

Research supports significant positive academic, social, emotional, and behavioral student outcomes when partnerships are established between families and schools.*** Youth development is influenced by the relationship between dynamic systems and settings, including home, school, community, and peers. Therefore, schools play an critical role in supporting the well-being of students and in fostering greater understanding between schools and families regarding both academics and social-emotional learning.

Students receiving mental health services, and prevention and interventions through school-based services are more likely to achieve in school, reduce special education referrals and improve school climate, decrease grade retention and reduce levels of emotional and behavioral difficulties.****

*(CDC, 2018), **(Plemmons et al., 2018), ***(Epstein & Sanders, 2006; Hill & Tyson, 2009; Jeynes, 2007), ****(Greenberg et al., 2003), (Bruns et al., 2004), (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Service Administration, 2005), (Hussey & Guo, 2003)

What is BSD doing to support student well-being, specifically around suicide prevention and intervention?

Along with the Signs of Suicide (SOS) Curriculum, the Bellevue School District provides a social-emotional and behavioral screen to help identify students at risk of suicide and/or show mental health needs. The screen is called the Behavior Intervention Monitoring and Assessment System 2 (BIMAS2). The screen has three versions, a Teacher Report, a Parent Report, and a Self-Report. The BIMAS2 Self Report is provided to students in grades 7 through 11.

This screen consists of 34 questions and take about 2-3 minutes to complete. The rating scale ranges from 0 to 4, where a 0 is “Never” and a 4 is “Very Often.” The questions are grouped into 5 categories, or scales, consisting of 1) Conduct, 2) Negative Affect, 3) Cognitive Attention, 4) Social, and 5) Academic Functioning. The screen contains one question, question #24, within the Negative Affect scale that askes students if they have thought about harming themselves.

Does my student have to participate in the BIMAS2 Screen?

The Bellevue School District uses an opt-out process for consent to screen to maximize participation. Parents are notified prior to the screen and provided the opportunity to opt out of either or both the Signs of Suicide Lesson and the BIMS2 screen. The screen is also optional for students to take. In the instructions for the screen, students are notified that they can choose to not take the screen.

Who sees the results of my student’s BIMAS2 Screen?

The Mental Health Assistance Team Counselors (MHAT) interpret the results and primarily focus on the Conduct and Negative Affect scales, as well as question #24 about self-harm. Any student that reports a score of 1 or more to Question #24 about self-harm is evaluated using a secondary screen to determine the level of suicide risk. The MHAT Counselors follow the district guideline outlined in Policy 2145, Procedure 2145P, and Procedure 2145P Exhibit A.

Are parents notified of their student’s BIMAS2 Screen?

What happens if my student does not show significant or at-risk scores on the BIMAS2 Screen?

For students who show significant or at-risk scores on the Conduct and/or Negative Affect scales but did not report thoughts of self-harm, the MHAT Counselors will meet with each of those students to offer support services.

These services can include short-term counseling using Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Plus (CBT+), Solution-Focused Counseling, Selected Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills (DBT), check-ins, or a supported referral to non-school services. These services are optional and require student and parent permission for start and continue.