                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

RESPONSIBILITY TO CONTACT PARENT OF STUDENT AT IMMINENT RISK OF SUICIDE; NOTICE
TO BE GIVEN TO SOCIAL SERVICES IF PARENTAL ABUSE OR NEGLECT; BOARD OF EDUCATION
TO DEVELOP GUIDELINES FOR PARENTAL CONTACT (§ 22.1-272.1)

A. Any person licensed as administrative or instructional personnel by the Board
of Education and employed by a local school board who in the scope of his
employment has reason to believe, as a result of direct communication from a
student, that such student is at imminent risk of suicide shall, as soon as
practicable, (i) contact at least one of such student&#8217;s parents to ask
whether such parent is aware of the student&#8217;s mental state and whether the
parent wishes to obtain or has already obtained counseling for such student and
(ii) provide to the parent materials on suicide prevention that shall include
information on the legal requirements set forth in &#xA7; 18.2-56.2 relating to
the safe storage of firearms in the presence of minors and that may include
guidance on best practices and strategies for limiting a student&#8217;s access
to lethal means, including firearms and medications. Such contact shall be made
and any materials on suicide prevention provided shall be selected in accordance
with the provisions of the guidelines required by subsection C.

B. If the student has indicated that the reason for being at imminent risk of
suicide relates to parental abuse or neglect, this contact shall not be made
with the parent. Instead, the person shall, as soon as practicable, notify the
local department of social services of the county or city wherein the child
resides or wherein the abuse or neglect is believed to have occurred or the
state Department of Social Services&#8217; toll-free child abuse and neglect
hotline, as required by &#xA7; 63.2-1509. When giving this notice to the local
or state department, the person shall stress the need to take immediate action
to protect the child from harm.

C. The Board of Education, in cooperation with the Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Services and the Department of Health, shall develop
guidelines for making the contact required by subsection A. These guidelines
shall include, but need not be limited to, (i) criteria to assess the suicide
risks of students; (ii) characteristics to identify potentially suicidal
students; (iii) appropriate responses to students expressing suicidal
intentions; (iv) available and appropriate community services for students
expressing suicidal intentions; (v) suicide prevention strategies that may be
implemented by local schools for students expressing suicidal intentions; (vi)
criteria for notification of and discussions with parents of students expressing
suicidal intentions; (vii) criteria for as-soon-as-practicable contact with the
parents; (viii) criteria for selecting materials on suicide prevention,
including those relating to safe firearm storage and best practices and
strategies for limiting a student&#8217;s access to lethal means, to be provided
to the parent of any student expressing suicidal intentions, including materials
that have been pre-approved for such use by the Board; (ix) appropriate
sensitivity to religious beliefs; and (x) legal requirements and criteria for
notification of public service agencies, including, but not limited to, the
local or state social services and mental health agencies. These guidelines may
include case studies and problem-solving exercises and may be designed as
materials for in-service training programs for licensed administrative and
instructional personnel.

HISTORY: 1999, c. 425; 2009, cc. 813, 840; 2025, c. 525.