For teachers and school staff

Suicide is a leading cause of death for young people, and school staff see students more hours a week than most parents do. This page is the school edition of Harbor Watch. Complete the full training; then ask your school to adopt the runbooks below.

What to watch for

• A student whose work, attendance or friendships change suddenly
• Writing, art or comments that reference death, worthlessness or being a burden
• Being targeted online or publicly humiliated; a breakup; a friend's suicide
• Giving belongings away; final-sounding goodbyes
• A previously distressed student who is suddenly calm

Handling a disclosure between classes

1. Do not send them away to come back later. Find two minutes now, or walk with them.
2. Ask directly whether they are thinking about suicide.
3. Do not promise secrecy. Say: “I have to make sure you're safe, so I'm going to walk with you to [counselor]. I'll stay with you.”
4. Walk them there. Do not send them alone.
5. Follow your school's reporting procedure the same day, and check on them yourself the next morning.

What your school should have in place

Element	Minimum
Trained staff	Every adult who has contact with students completes Harbor Watch; counselors complete the clinical training
Named responder	One named person on every school day who receives disclosures, with a deputy
Parent notification policy	Written, known to staff, and consistent with law in your jurisdiction
Means-safety conversation	Counselor-led conversation with the family the same day a student is identified at risk
Postvention runbook	Adopted before it is needed; see Harbor After
Student Anchors	Students enrolled in Harbor care can name a school adult as an Anchor; the school knows who its Anchors are

Bring Safe Harbor to your school

Schools can run Harbor Watch for all staff, adopt the counselor console, and add the student pathway through Harbor care. Contact us to set it up.