Idaho has one of the highest rates of suicide in the country. And young people account for many of those deaths. Now, the state is offering free suicide prevention training to anyone who interacts with students.
The Idaho State Department of Education is offering Question, Persuade, Refer training for free to up to 10,000 people. QPR is the national standard for suicide prevention training.
The state’s most recent survey of youth risk behaviors showed more than one in five students had seriously considered suicide. That’s the highest rate in a decade.
A department survey last year found that about half of Idaho educators did not have prevention training.
“Anyone who interacts with students – teacher, parent, administrator, school staff, volunteer, grandparent, coach – is encouraged to sign up for this training, which provides important understanding and strategies for just a small investment of time,” Superintendent of Public Instruction Sherri Ybarra said in a news release.
The two-hour course is open to anyone who interacts with students. It’s funded with $25,000 from the Idaho Lives Project, a partnership between Idaho’s Department of Health and Welfare and the State Department of Education.
Anyone interested in receiving the training can apply online here.
If you or a loved one is having thoughts of suicide please call the Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255.
Follow Heath Druzin on Twitter, @HDruzin
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