How the group started and what it produced

Normally when legislation impacting K-12 education is passed, WSSDA’s response takes the form of writing new model policies or procedures. Given how important this issue was for student leaders, WSSDA decided to help ensure that district staff and legislators could hear what the students had to share. 

WSSDA created the Suicide Awareness & Prevention Workgroup with the intention of elevating student voices from around the state to share a list of recommendations that will help districts:

• design student and staff identification cards with this new requirement in mind;
• engage students in suicide awareness & prevention programming at school; and
• ensure districts are doing their best to create safe spaces for students.

To that end, the group produced a final report to share statewide.

About the Legislation

The legislative intent of this bill is to require contact information for suicide prevention and crisis intervention organizations be printed on student and staff identification cards.

K-12 & Higher Ed Requirements

Within existing resources, every public school that issues student identification cards, staff identification cards, or both, must have printed on either side of the identification cards:

• The contact information for a national suicide prevention organization; and
• The contact information for one or more campus, local, state, or national organizations specializing in suicide prevention, crisis intervention, or counseling, if available.

The requirements above apply to student and staff identification cards issued for the first time and issued to replace a damaged or lost identification card. If a school or institution of higher education has a supply of unissued identification cards that do not comply with the requirements above, they may issue those identification cards until that supply is depleted (but no later than June 30, 2021).

Intended Outcomes and Steps taken by the Workgroup

1. Discuss strategies to be used to design and update ID cards
2. Discuss strategies to further promote suicide awareness in schools and institutions of higher education
3. Create a report containing the above information to be shared with school board members and superintendents statewide

Tentative Timeline & Schedule

Resources

Student Representatives

Other Members

Staff