C. Suicide Prevention, Intervention, Postvention Policy

students. For more information on communicable disease protocol, please visit California Department of Health Division of Communicable Disease Control.

If a community member acquires or is exposed to a known communicable disease, the school must be notified. Parents should immediately contact David Hanson, CFOO, and Whitney Livermore, Dean of Student Life.

Covid-19

Branson follows the guidance of Marin County Public Health, the California Department of Public Health, and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in its policies and practices concerning Covid-19 prevention and contact tracing. All students, faculty, and staff are required to be vaccinated for Covid-19, unless exempt due to a valid medical reason or a sincerely held religious belief (supported by appropriate documentation). Students and families must comply with all of Branson’s Covid guidance and policies, and should be aware that this guidance may change frequently. Questions should be directed to covid@branson.org

The safety and well-being of Branson students is paramount. Suicidal thoughts, or suicidal ideation, means thinking about or planning suicide. Thoughts can range from a detailed plan to a fleeting consideration. Therefore, whenever faculty or staff learn of any declaration of suicidal thoughts by a student, regardless of the perceived level of severity or mode of expression, the School will act upon and assess the situation. This may include, but is not limited to, comments that a student makes verbally, over social media platforms, in person, as part of a school assignment, or that come to us from a second or third party.

Once we learn of a student’s suicidal ideation, either directly or indirectly, the Suicide Risk Response Coordinator (Director of Counseling) and/or the Alternate Suicide Risk Response Coordinator (Dean of Student Life) will formally assess the level of risk and determine next steps.

Notifying Parents

Parents or guardians will be contacted as soon as possible after a student has been identified as being at risk for suicide, unless doing so would exacerbate the situation.

No or Low Risk The school will contact parents or guardians when any formal suicide assessment is administered, even if the student is determined to be at low or no risk. Additionally, the school