TAUNTON — Superintendent John Cabral and Director of Student Services and Transportation and Title IX Coordinator Kathy Perry are pleased to announce that Taunton Public Schools will be participating in “Signs of Suicide” (SOS) facilitator training tomorrow morning.
On Friday, March 12, groups from the Benjamin A. Friedman, John F. Parker and Joseph H. Martin middle schools will participate in the three-hour virtual violence prevention and mental health training. Groups from each middle school will consist of the school’s assistant principal, adjustment counselor, health teacher and guidance counselor.
The SOS facilitator training will teach participants how to educate and conduct mental health screenings for all students; educate adults on risk factors, warning signs and identifying students in need; and ensure peers and adults take action when concerned about a student.
Through the training, groups will also learn how to identify students who are in a crisis and how to implement an evidence-based suicide prevention program within their schools. At the end of the training, the groups will work to implement the program and its curriculum into the health classes within the three middle school buildings.
“For the past several years, we have continued to provide programs that support our work with both the social-emotional needs as well as the mental health needs of our students,” Director Perry said. “Since then, we have worked with the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and Sandy Hook Promise to bring their “Know the Signs” programs to our district. These programs have been a valuable resource to us thus far, and we look forward to further implementing the programs district-wide.”
Added Superintendent Cabral, “I’m extremely pleased to see faculty and staff from each of our middle schools take part in school-based violence prevention and mental health education. These are issues that continue to affect our student body and through these trainings we can begin to address these issues within our schools.”
This training was made possible through the partnership between the district, the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office and the Sandy Hook Promise (SHP) organization.
The partnership is part of a three-year grant to train educators and students across the Commonwealth in SHP’s “Know the Signs” program. The “Know the Signs” program includes “Start with Hello”, “Signs of Suicide” and “Say Something” trainings which teach young people and adults how to identify, assess and intervene before young people hurt themselves or others.
About Sandy Hook Promise
Sandy Hook Promise is a national nonprofit organization founded and led by several family members whose loved ones were killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012. Based in Newtown, Connecticut, our intent is to honor all victims of gun violence by turning our tragedy into a moment of transformation. By empowering youth to “know the signs” and uniting all people who value the protection of children, we can take meaningful actions in schools, homes, and communities to prevent gun violence and stop the tragic loss of life.
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