Kentucky has developed a new 45-minute suicide prevention curriculum for grades 5-12 for the 2021-2022 school year.

This curriculum supports students in addressing back-to-school stress, anxiety and related issues.

The curriculum meets the state legislative mandate to deliver suicide prevention information to all middle and high school students by Sept. 15th of each school year. Students will learn how to:

• Identify expectations about the new school year
• Recognize that returning to school requires planning
• Acknowledge that adult help is needed in some school preparation
• Identify at least one adult that students can go to if they are concerned about themselves or a friend
• Name some personal coping skills

In order to prepare staff to teach the curriculum and decrease anxiety in doing so, live overview sessions will be offered via Zoom in early August.

This training will also meet the mandated suicide prevention staff training for middle and high school staff.

The overview sessions will be conducted by Maureen Underwood, LCSW, and author of the curriculum. Ms. Underwood is also the co-developer of the nationally recognized Lifelines curriculum used in some schools in Kentucky.

Both overview sessions will be recorded. Register for either of the trainings at this link. Indicate your preferred session during the registration process.

For grades 5-8: Tuesday, August 3rd 2 p.m.-3 p.m.

For grades 9-12: Wednesday, August 4th 10 a.m.-11 a.m.