Building a Suicide Prevention Protocol: Insights from Wayne-Westland

Schools are often the first line of defense in supporting student mental health and preventing youth suicide. Recognizing this responsibility, Wayne-Westland Community Schools District developed a comprehensive suicide prevention protocol that involves the entire community. This case study, based on an interview with Amanda Faughnan, Supervisor of Social Emotional Learning at Wayne-Westland, outlines their best practices for school leaders looking to build and implement a similar protocol in their own school communities.

"When creating a suicide prevention protocol, there's no need to reinvent the wheel. You can use what you like from different protocols and create one that works best for your community."
Amanda Faughnan, Supervisor of Social Emotional Learning

Identify the Need and Collaborate with Local Partners

Wayne-Westland identified the need for a new suicide prevention protocol after joining the Wayne County Suicide Prevention Coalition. Amanda Faughnan explains, "We noticed that many schools weren’t using a consistent screener, and hospitals were conducting separate screenings from the schools. We wanted to align our processes and get community backing to streamline services and eliminate unnecessary steps for families." The coalition brought together nine school districts and local hospitals, all sharing the goal of combating adolescent depression and suicide. This collaborative effort allowed them to choose an evidence-based screener that both schools and hospitals could use, creating a seamless experience for students and families.

Key Takeaway: Form partnerships with neighboring districts and community organizations to align goals, share resources, and develop a unified approach to suicide prevention.

 

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Week, Wayne-Westland staff is raising awareness and helping break the stigma around mental health in the community.

Choose an Evidence-Based Screening Tool

After extensive research, the coalition selected the Columbia Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS). "We chose the Columbia Suicide Scale because it's concise—just six questions—and already familiar to our emergency rooms. It's straightforward, asks for a timeline, and can clearly indicate if a student is at low, medium, or high risk," Faughnan notes. This familiarity helped bridge gaps between school assessments and hospital screenings, streamlining the entire process for students at risk.

Key Takeaway: Choose a validated, easy-to-administer screener that is already in use by local healthcare providers to ensure consistency and support.

Provide Extensive Training for Staff

To ensure effective implementation, Wayne-Westland organized comprehensive training sessions for over 50 mental health staff, including school social workers, psychologists, and counselors. "We reached out to the developers of the screener, who trained our staff and shared real-world examples of its use by law enforcement and the military," Faughnan explains. The remaining professional development time was spent reviewing the process, addressing questions, and reflecting on the previous protocol’s successes and challenges. This collaborative approach allowed the entire mental health team to contribute, ensuring that the new protocol was shaped by the collective expertise and insights of all staff members.

Key Takeaway: Invest in thorough, ongoing training for staff, involving experts when possible. Use real-world examples to help staff understand the screener’s application.

 

Wayne-Westland staff receiving training in suicide prevention.

Establish Clear Steps to Ensure Student Safety

Wayne-Westland maintained key elements of their original protocol, such as a checklist to ensure all necessary notifications are made when a student is at risk. They also introduced new components to enhance their approach. "Students are at a high risk after discharge from treatment for a suicidal crisis," Faughnan explains. "We include notes to guide staff during reentry meetings for students returning from a crisis to ensure they are on a safety plan." The goal of these meetings is to clearly define roles and responsibilities for all staff members and provide clarity on the next steps. Teachers and coaches are educated on the protocol at a high level—they receive only the essential information needed to recognize warning signs and ensure student safety while maintaining confidentiality of the student.

Key Takeaway: Ensure student safety by establishing clear, defined steps that outline staff roles and responsibilities, provide guidance for handling at-risk situations, and maintain a balance between awareness and confidentiality.

Engage and Educate the Entire School Community

Wayne-Westland’s approach to suicide prevention actively involves every member of the school community. "Suicide prevention isn’t just about training mental health professionals," Faughnan emphasizes. "We need to educate everyone—teachers, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and students—because they often see or hear things that others don't. We want everyone to know who they can talk to or where to direct someone in need."

The district has refined its list of support services and, in compliance with Michigan law, includes the suicide hotline number on all student IDs for grades 6-12. "We ensure students understand what this number is and what to expect when they call it," adds Faughnan. Additionally, the "OK2SAY" program allows anyone to confidentially report concerns, with reports monitored by the Michigan State Police. Wayne-Westland also uses LightSpeed to monitor district devices; if a student searches for something concerning, staff can identify the student and take appropriate action.

 

Student ID cards for middle and high school students across Michigan now include Suicide Prevention Hotline information. Wayne-Westland chose to put National Suicide Prevention Lifeline information on its cards because it is available around the clock year-round. 

The district is also introducing a student-led suicide prevention program, where schools can choose a student group that best fits their needs, recognizing that students often turn to peers first when they are struggling. This year, the focus is on training students in QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention. To ensure effectiveness, staff members are trained first so they fully understand the program before students receive the training.

Key Takeaway: Suicide prevention should be a community-wide effort. Train all staff and empower students to be part of the solution.

Reduce Stigma and Barriers to Care

Partnering with organizations like Care Solace has enhanced Wayne-Westland’s strategy by making mental health resources more accessible and helping to reduce the stigma associated with seeking help. "Stigma is two-fold," explains Faughnan. "Through the messaging and posters we share about Care Solace as a resource, our school community understands that it's okay to ask for help. They know where to turn if they are struggling, and it’s no longer a daunting task to get support." Faughnan also highlights that "the Care Solace referral system is excellent for low to medium-risk cases. It helps families connect with care providers without having to search for them on their own." This partnership allows the district to offer comprehensive support to the entire community—students, parents, and staff.

Discover more about how Care Solace provides wraparound support for K-12 school districts.

 

Wayne-Westland community schools is proud to show that Mental Health Matters. Here, staff raise awareness by wearing green in support of Mental Health Awareness Month. 

Collect Data to Continually Evolve and Improve

To better understand the needs of the school community and monitor the effectiveness of their approach, the coalition developed a data tool for mental health staff to track and analyze suicide risk assessments. “Since implementing the tool, we've collected valuable data that has helped us understand the scope of the issue and refine our approach," says Faughnan. "While we don’t collect identifiable information, we gather enough data to help us plan accordingly. We can identify trends, recognize higher-risk months, grades, and more. At the end of the year, it will be eye-opening to see this data and feel like I have a better understanding of our school community."

In addition, they administered the optional MiPHY (Michigan Profile for Healthy Youth) survey to students in 7th, 9th, and 11th grade. This student health survey, provided by the Michigan Department of Education and Health and Human Services, collects anonymous data on at-risk behaviors. The data gathered informs programming decisions and helps local healthcare clinics better understand the community’s needs, while also strengthening grant applications with evidence-based insights.

Key Takeaway: Develop tools to regularly collect and analyze data. Schools and clinics can use this information to identify trends, inform prevention strategies, and strengthen grant applications.

“Our protocol is a document which will continue to develop. We wrote it as a team, knowing it will grow and change as needed."

Disclaimer:  Please follow your school district's policies and protocols and also the laws and local policies that apply to specific roles and licensure.

About Wayne-Westland 
Wayne-Westland School District is located in Wayne and Westland, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. The district serves a diverse student population of approximately 9,300 students across 20 schools. Wayne-Westland is known for its strong commitment to student well-being, offering a wide range of academic programs, extracurricular activities, and mental health support services. The district takes pride in its community engagement and efforts to provide students with the tools they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom.