North Bend schools highlight suicide-prevention training and Wayfinder family engagement days

The North Bend School District 13 superintendent told the board on Oct. 15 the district has required staff training and is expanding family-facing social-emotional learning activities to support student mental health.

"We have all staff go through safe skills training on new suicide awareness prevention and postvention," the superintendent said, and added the district is "currently looking into sending a team to the applied suicide intervention skills training." He said both certified and classified staff have completed training this year.

The superintendent also described a pilot expansion of the LifeBinder social-emotional learning program under the Wayfinder name, with a family engagement day scheduled for Oct. 11. The family events are divided by age group (K–5 in the morning and grades 6–12 in the afternoon) and include paid staff time to encourage attendance.

School leaders described recent student participation in the Coos County Out of the Dark suicide-prevention walk in September and said the district continues to review emergency operations plans and response protocols.

District materials and presenters said these activities are part of an ongoing focus on prevention, postvention and family engagement rather than a single new mandate; the superintendent invited board members and community members to attend the family engagement sessions and to observe rollout pacing so staff are not overwhelmed.