# The School Suicide Policy Evaluation Tool (SSPET): A proof‐of‐concept for assessing school suicide prevention policies

## TL;DR

A new tool called SSPET was developed to evaluate school suicide prevention policies in Utah, revealing significant gaps in current district policies.

## Contribution

The creation and application of the School Suicide Policy Evaluation Tool (SSPET) for assessing suicide prevention policies in schools.

## Key findings

- Utah school district policies scored poorly, with a median total score of 2.25 out of 36.
- Most criteria in prevention, intervention, re-entry, and postvention sections were included in less than 20% of policies.
- The SSPET successfully identified policy shortcomings and can guide improvements in suicide prevention strategies.

## Abstract

As adolescent suicide rates have increased, there has been a nationwide increase in legislation requiring schools to create suicide prevention policies. In Utah, school districts must implement a youth suicide program for grades 7–12. Currently, there have been no systematic analyses of Utah school district suicide prevention policies. Thus, we developed a new evaluation instrument, the School Suicide Policy Evaluation Tool (SSPET).

The SSPET was derived from the “Model School District Policy” and evaluates criteria on prevention, intervention, re‐entry, and postvention. Four raters used the SSPET in a systematic analysis of suicide prevention policies for all school districts in the state of Utah.

Analysis revealed a right‐skewed distribution of policy scores, and a median total score was 2.25/36. The mean percentage of inclusion of the four subsections in policies was less than 20% for most criteria. Median scores were totaled for the four subsections as follows: Prevention score was 1/9, intervention score was 1/14, re‐entry score was 0/4, and postvention score was 0/9.

This proof‐of‐concept study demonstrates the utility of the SSPET in identifying shortcomings of school district policies on suicide while generating specific recommendations for improvement. With further validity testing, we expect this tool to be useful to school district administrators, education policymakers, and those studying suicide interventions and outcomes in school‐aged children and adolescents.

Study aim: The School Suicide Policy Evaluation Tool (SSPET) was created to analyze school district suicide policies based on the national standard “Model School District Policy.” The tool was statistically verified and then used to analyze the state of Utah's school district policies.

Conclusion: Overall performance for school districts in Utah was poor, with over three quarters of districts receiving a total score of less than 4 out of a possible 36. This proof‐of‐concept study demonstrates the utility of the SSPET in identifying shortcomings of school district policies on suicide while generating specific recommendations for improvement.