Parent urges Yuma district to adopt uniform suicide-prevention policy

Sarah Chavez, a parent of two and a former school-based mental-health counselor, urged the Yuma Elementary District governing board to adopt district-wide suicide prevention, intervention and postvention policies during the Jan. 13 call to the public.

Chavez said she could not find a unified program on the district website and suggested the district either adopt a uniform process or facilitate coordination among schools. She described having written and implemented district-wide suicide-prevention policies in another district and said training made staff more comfortable asking students about suicidal thoughts — an intervention she said had saved lives.

The board and Superintendent Ponder invited Chavez to share the program she referenced and asked staff to circulate it in the Friday report so the board and district leadership can review current practices and identify gaps. Chavez named Desert Mesa counselor Miss Santana as an example of active school-based counseling and praised that local work.

The district did not state whether a uniform program already exists; staff said they would review Chavez’s materials if provided and report back.