Heading back to school after a break can be exciting, but for many, it can also be overwhelming. For students, parents and guardians, educators and staff members, it's so important to prioritize mental health throughout the school year.

Whether you're a younger child or teen returning to the classroom after surviving a suicide loss, an adult wanting to understand suicide and support a young loss survivor, or an educator or staff member looking to introduce suicide prevention programs and policies to your school –– AFSP offers a host of resources to help you learn more about mental health and suicide, and spread awareness in your communities and school districts:

• Suicide Prevention Resources for Schools: AFSP offers foundational suicide prevention tools for schools to adopt and implement. Programs like It's Real and More Than Sad provide mental health education and resources, while the Model School District Policy on Suicide Prevention outlines best practices for school districts to protect student health and safety.

• How Parents and Guardians Can Help Prevent Teen Suicide: Parents and guardians can play a role in suicide prevention by learning about the research and resources surrounding teen suicide, and how they can have healthy and productive conversations with their children. Parents and guardians can also participate in AFSP's program More Than Sad: Parent Education, and learn to recognize the signs of depression, start conversations about mental health with their children, and help get them connected to resources.

• A Guide for Schools Navigating Suicide Loss: After a Suicide: A Toolkit for Schools offers reliable information and practical tools that can help schools to support grieving and distressed students, parents and guardians, and school staff, while also communicating safely, responsibly, and proactively with the public.

• For Adults Supporting Young Loss Survivors: Written in partnership with Dougy Center, The National Grief Center for Children & Families, AFSP's Children, Teens, and Suicide Loss booklet offers concrete guidelines for adults who want to offer the best possible support to young loss survivors coping with grief and navigating a path toward healing. Adults supporting young loss survivors can also read these two articles by Dr. Pamela Gabbay, a childhood bereavement consultant and part of AFSP's Suicide Bereavement Support Group Facilitator Trainings program. The articles outline what to expect when a teen or young child returns to school after a suicide loss, and what parents or guardians can do to help them navigate the experience.

This year, each of us has a role to play in supporting mental health for ourselves, our families, and our communities as we navigate a return to school. You can read and share the resources above, and learn more about AFSP's policy position on suicide prevention in K-12 schools.