Keller ISD expands Hope Squad peer-suicide-prevention program to all middle and high schools

Keller ISD has implemented the Hope Squad peer-to-peer suicide-prevention program across all seven district middle schools and its four comprehensive high schools, district counseling staff said during the SHAC meeting on Feb. 10.

Hope Squad, a student-nominated program that trains peers to spot signs of distress and connect classmates to trusted adults, was described by Kristen Elam, director of counseling services and CCMR for Keller ISD: "Hope Squad is a group of nominated students who meet regularly with trained advisors ... [who] are trained to notice signs of distress and connect peers to help and hope." The district paid an estimated $15,000 to cover the program for those schools; that cost was covered by the Keller Education Foundation, Elam said.

The program trains campus advisers—primarily certified school counselors who have completed QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) training—to teach an age‑appropriate HOPE approach. Elam said the HOPE approach teaches members to raise a "heads up" for students who may be struggling, offer support, provide information about resources and empower peers to seek…