Fulton County Schools takes our students' personal, social, and physical safety seriously. To proactively address concerns of depression and child/adolescent suicide, the district is providing faculty suicide prevention training and a student suicide prevention lesson as part of the Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program.

The SOS program has proven successful at increasing help-seeking by students concerned about themselves or a friend. It is the only school-based suicide prevention program selected by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration for its National Registry of Evidence-Based Programs and Practices that addresses suicide risk and depression while reducing suicide attempts. The SOS program goals are as follows:

• To explain that suicide is a preventable tragedy that often occurs as a result of untreated depression.
• To train students to identify serious depression and the potential risk of suicide in a friend.
• To impress upon students that they can help themselves or a friend by talking to a responsible adult about their concerns.

The Counseling Department will deliver the Signs of Suicide lesson for 9th-grade students during B² on Tuesday, October 17, 2023. We will deliver a refresher Signs of Suicide lesson for grades 10-12 during B² on Wednesday, October 25, 2023.

Parents/guardians who do not wish their child to participate in the SOS suicide prevention lesson at school, please complete the Opt Out form below and return it to the Cambridge Counseling Department-Bridge West Office. If the school does not receive this form by Friday, October 13, 2023, we will assume your child has permission to participate in this program. If you have any questions or concerns about this program, please contact the Cambridge Counseling Department.