Gov. Jay Nixon signed a bill Friday that aims to increase youth suicide awareness and prevention at public schools and adds cyber bullying to Missouri's anti-bullying laws.
Starting in 2017-18, the bill allows educators to apply up to two hours of training in youth suicide prevention toward their required professional development hours - the training, however, isn't required.
"Every student should feel safe at school, and every teacher should have the resources and training needed to keep them safe," Nixon said in a news release. "This is an important piece of legislation that can improve and save lives, and I appreciate the work of the Legislature to bring it to my desk."
Districts will be required to have a suicide awareness and prevention policy by 2018, and the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) will develop guidelines and training materials regarding suicide awareness.
DESE Communications Specialist Nancy Bowles said the department couldn't comment on the bill because the employees who specialize in this area were out of the office until next week.
She did, however, point to resources on the DESE website, which links to free online training programs, webinars, presentations and events.
Jefferson City Public Schools (JCPS) Superintendent Larry Linthacum said the district already has policies on suicide prevention and bullying, but there are always ways to improve.
"I think (the bill) is consistent with things we've been talking about, making sure we're engaging with kids and connecting with kids, and when we do that, we'll be more conscious and aware if something is out of the ordinary with a student," he said.
Staff and students are trained on suicide prevention, noticing the signs of a potential suicide and the various forms of bullying.
At this time, JCPS hasn't planned additional training, but Linthacum said once the Missouri School Board Association gives a new policy recommendation, the district likely will update and expand its own practices.
Linthacum has announced several times that behavior will be a districtwide priority this fall. School officials have created a behavior task force made up of more than 60 staff members who represent each school and are adding several support staff positions specializing in behavior.
Blair Oaks Superintendent Jim Jones said the district does not currently have a policy specifically regarding suicide awareness, but it does have procedures in its crisis plan about student deaths, including suicide.
Blair Oaks teachers undergo training for suicide awareness and anti-bullying. Jones didn't know how many hours teachers spend in training each year but said the topic is an ongoing conversation. Because bullying can lead to suicide, the trainings are fairly intertwined, he said.
"We have not had a student (who committed suicide), but I'm not going to be the one to say it'll never happen here," Jones said. "Any situation where a student is uncomfortable with a situation that involves themselves, that involves others, we're going to investigate it. Our No. 1 responsibility is to make sure kids are safe. We want kids to be learning something, but we want them to have a safe environment."
The district also brings in outside speakers to talk about bullying and suicide, including the mother of Megan Meier, who committed suicide at 13 years old after being cyber-bullied; the Missouri case received nationwide attention.
Jones also fully supports the bill - it's hard not to be when it relates to student safety, he said.