Bari Cohn
Executive News Editor
Hannah Parker
Assistant Managing Editor
Mira Costa administration will implement the Signs of Suicide program on Wednesday, by showing students a video discussing suicide awareness and having students take a survey regarding the issue.
The California Governor Jerry Brown signed California AB2246 into state law on Sept. 26, 2016, requiring the governing board or body of a local educational agencies serving pupils in grades 7 to 12 to adopt a policy on pupil suicide prevention before the beginning of the 2017-18 school year.
“I believe that by addressing the issue of suicide directly with students, they will feel more comfortable addressing their personal issues,” senior Macallan Laver said. “I believe that this program is a major step in the right direction in improving the overall well-being of students.”
According to Costa Principal Dr. Ben Dale, the administration has been preparing for this presentation since the summer. In the presentation, students will first watch a 15 minute film that the State of California provided to the district called “SOS: Signs of Suicide.”
After the video, students will take a survey on which they will be able to share their personal experiences regarding suicide and will be able to report if any of their peers are struggling with suicidal thoughts or attempts, English teacher Diana Sieker said.
“I think it is really important to talk about these kinds of things, because it is a step in the right direction,” Sieker said. “Suicide is an issue that requires extreme sensitivity and I hope that that it creates a premise for a more comfortable environment for students to reach out for help.”
The student survey will not be anonymous and counselors will read through the responses in order to identify students who need resources, Sieker said. Additionally, the Costa administration emailed teachers the video so they were able to watch it beforehand in order to better assist students while watching the video.
“I hope that students take away a sense of awareness for themselves and others,” Dale said. “I hope [students] will be able to know what to do when they are in crisis and to be able to help someone else who is in crisis.”
Costa has been working to provide students with emotional support and suicide prevention for three years with the formation of the Social Emotional Wellness Committee, Dale said. Although the SEW Committee is not involved with the presentation, they will still work towards providing students with an outlet for stress and emotions, Dale said.
“The number one goal [of this program] is to help someone who needs the help,” Dale said. “If the result of this [program] is that [administration] can identify students who need this assistance, then we have done good work as the administration.”
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