Educators Strengthen Suicide Prevention Skills During Professional Development Day
Educators Strengthen Suicide Prevention Skills During Professional Development Day
LORAIN HIGH SCHOOL — Lorain City Schools used its recent professional development day to focus on one of the most important parts of teaching: keeping students safe and supported when they are struggling.
Safety Officer Santiago Ruiz leads QPR suicide prevention training for Lorain City Schools educators during a recent professional development day at Lorain High School.
Throughout the day, educators from across the district took part in QPR (Question, Persuade, Refer) suicide prevention training at Lorain High School led by Safety Officer Santiago Ruiz. The same program was offered to bus drivers last year and is now expanding to reach the adults who spend their days in classrooms, hallways and cafeterias with students.
QPR is designed to give everyday people practical tools to recognize warning signs of a mental health crisis, ask direct questions, listen without judgment and connect a student to professional help. Ruiz walked educators through real-life scenarios and language they might hear from a student who feels overwhelmed, angry or hopeless.
At one point in the training, Ruiz used a story about conflict at home to show how easily a situation can escalate when emotions are high. Instead of “taking the door off the hinges” by pushing harder in the moment, he encouraged staff to think about giving a person space, then returning when everyone is calmer so a real conversation can happen. That same approach, he explained, can apply when a student shuts down or lashes out in class.
From there, educators practiced what it looks like to notice small changes in behavior, check in with a student and ask follow-up questions that go beyond surface-level answers. The emphasis was on communication and curiosity, not confrontation. Ruiz reminded participants that it is better to ask a hard question than to miss a chance to help.
Educators from across the district take part in QPR suicide prevention training focused on recognizing warning signs in students.
The training also reinforced that teachers and support staff are never alone in responding to a concern. When a student shares something worrying, staff are coached to listen, stay with the student and then connect them with the right level of support, whether that is a school counselor, administrator or outside crisis service.
By investing professional development time in QPR, Lorain City Schools is working to ensure that more adults in every building know how to spot warning signs and respond with care. The goal is a learning environment where students feel seen, where concerns are taken seriously and where every classroom is a safer place to speak up and ask for help.