Webinar Opportunity for Maine School Leaders: Preparation Saves Lives – Strengthening Your School’s Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention Protocols

In recognition of May as Mental Health Awareness Month, the Maine School Superintendents Association (MSSA), the Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Maine CDC), the Maine Department of Education (DOE), and NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Maine have collaborated to provide a webinar, “Preparation Saves Lives – Strengthening Your School’s Suicide Prevention, Intervention, and Postvention Protocols,” scheduled for Thursday, May 21, 2026, from 9-10 a.m. This webinar is intended for school leaders, including superintendents, principals, and members of comprehensive health and safety planning teams (sometimes referred to as crisis management teams).

Recognizing that many school leaders have had to navigate leadership following crises—particularly those involving the death of a student due to suicide—this webinar will provide the tools needed for summer reflection and planning for suicide prevention, response, and recovery. Mary Gagnon, Senior Director of Prevention and Workplace Well-Being for NAMI Maine, will share her experiences over the past two years in supporting school administrative units (SAUs) with this work. She will provide resources and lessons learned to help school leaders prepare for and respond to crises, including the death of a student or other school community member following a suicide.

The following tools will be shared with participants throughout this webinar:

• A checklist to help participants review their school’s suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention protocols, ensuring alignment with national best practices
• Sample protocols for suicide prevention, intervention, or postvention, which participants are welcome to use within their SAU
• A sample calendar with month-by-month suggestions for how suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention can be sustained

Those interested in attending may register for the webinar here.

In a show of support for those living with mental illness, and in an effort to fight stigma, the planning team from MSSA, Maine CDC, Maine DOE, and NAMI Maine, will wear green in recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month.  Please consider participating.