Dear Northeastern Families,
Recently, many local area schools have lost students due to suicide, and are working through the grief and loss that comes with losing a child, student, classmate, teammate, and friend. Clermont Northeastern Schools are fortunate to have the opportunity to teach students about mental health and how to seek help if they are worried about themselves or a friend. This is possible in large part to our mental health staff, Child Focus, and our grant from the Department of Justice. Students in grades 6-12 will have the opportunity to participate in a program called SOS Signs of Suicide. The program teaches students about this difficult topic and encourages them to seek help.
SOS has been used by thousands of schools over the past few decades. Studies have shown that it effectively teaches students about depression and suicide while reducing the number of students’ self-reported suicide attempts.
Staff will begin receiving training and prepare for the program over the next 2 months prior to implementation. Clermont Northeastern Middle School students will be participating in the program during the week of Feb 7, 2022. Clermont Northeastern High school students will be participating in the program during the week of Feb 28, 2022.
Through the program, students learn:
that depression is treatable, so they are encouraged to seek help
how to identify depression and potential suicide risk in themselves or a friend
to ACT (Acknowledge, Care and Tell a trusted adult) if concerned about themselves or a friend
who they can turn to at school for help, if they need it
Students will watch age-appropriate video clips and participate in a guided discussion about depression, suicide, and what to do if they are concerned about a friend. Following the video, students will complete a response slip which asks whether they would like to talk to an adult about any concerns. School staff will conduct brief meetings with any students asking to talk.
Following the video, students will complete a brief depression screening tool. This tool cannot provide a diagnosis of depression but does indicate whether a young person should be referred for evaluation by a mental health professional.
We encourage you to visit www.sossignsofsuicide.org/parent for information on warning signs for youth suicide, useful resources, and some of the key messages students will learn.
We are including:
An infographic for you to reinforce the ACT message at home
An info sheet with resources
Contact information about our Student Assistance Program.
Podcast information with Child Focus
If you have any questions or concerns or would like to opt your student(s) out of participating in this program please contact your students building administrator
HS- TJ Glassmeyer (513)625-1211 ext 112 or email Glassmeyer_t@cneschools.org
MS- Laura Nazzarine (513) 625-1211 ext 212 or email Nazzarine_l@cneschools.org
Sincerely, Mike Brandt
