Montgomery County School District Case Study

Overview

Montgomery County Public Schools is the 16th largest in the United States and the largest in Maryland. Dr Christina Conolly has served as the school district’s Director of Psychological Services since 2015 and has spent her career advocating for youth suicide prevention.

She tells schools, “Don’t wait until somebody dies to put a program in place. SOS truly does help to prevent suicide. Think about the prevention work ahead of time that is needed to save lives. This program will help schools identify kids and give them the help they need, so they don’t get to a place where they are going to die by suicide.”

Results

88,000

middle and high school students receive SOS in Montgomery County Public Schools each year

90%

of schools reported an increase in students seeking help for themselves or others

95%

of schools believed the program reduces stigma around suicide

Challenge

In 2006, Dr. Conolly was an early career school psychologist when her previous school district experienced three student suicide deaths in 45 days.

Dr. Conolly advocated for universal suicide prevention for her students but, at that time, most school-based suicide prevention programs had shown little efficacy. In fact, many believed the common misconception that teaching students about depression and suicide could actually lead to suicidal behavior.

Additionally, Dr. Conolly faced a lack of funding for suicide prevention programming. Tight budgets remain common nationally, but then and now SOS for Student’s evidence-based program is more affordable than schools realize, even offering scholarships as needed to ensure that all students can receive suicide prevention education.

Solution

Following the third suicide death, Dr. Conolly received funding from an unusual and unlikely source – The Oprah Winfrey Show.

As Dr. Conolly sat in the show’s audience one day, the famous talk show host surprised each guest with a $1,000 donation as part of her “Pay it Forward” challenge. Guests were instructed to use the donations to support a charitable cause of their choice.

Determined to bring safe and effective suicide prevention to her district, Dr. Conolly consulted with the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), which recommended SOS for Students as an effective evidence-based program for her students.

SOS for Students had recently been recognized as the first school-based suicide prevention program to demonstrate significant reductions in self-reported suicide attempts with the publication of its first randomized controlled trial. Dr. Conolly shared NASP’s recommendation with her administrators along with her $1,000 seed money and the district agreed to move forward.

SOS for Students

Dr. Conolly bought her first SOS for Students program with Oprah’s $1,000 donation. After piloting the program, she was determined to bring suicide prevention to her entire district. She shared her dedication to youth suicide prevention and her need for financial support to bring suicide prevention programming to her entire district with the SOS Signs of Suicide team. The team donated the additional program materials Dr. Conolly needed – becoming one of the first official scholarship recipients of SOS for Students.

After piloting SOS for Students, the district saw an increase in referrals as students began to reach out for help. Some faculty responded with skepticism about whether the program was working. Dr. Conolly responded by saying, “It’s absolutely working. Now, these students are getting the help that they need.” After receiving SOS for Students, students began to practice ACT (Acknowledge, Care, Tell), one of the program’s main messages. Dr. Conolly adds, “Once you start doing SOS, it raises awareness. You teach kids how to ACT, then they move forward and tell trusted adults.”

"Out of all the money you can spend on curriculum and other things, this is a drop in the bucket when it comes to saving a life. SOS truly helps save lives."

Dr. Christina Conolly, Montgomery County School District Director of Psychological Service

How they Expanded the Reach of SOS for Students

In Montgomery County, Dr. Conolly utilized SOS for Students across the district, using program materials to engage all school staff, including coaches, office staff, custodians, and cafeteria workers.

She prioritizes the importance of engaging parents, saying: “I’ve talked to a lot of parents who say, ‘My child isn’t suicidal, and we don’t need this.’ I explain that most students who are suicidal talk to their friends, and the program is going to teach their child to help these friends.” 90% of schools using SOS for Students report an increase in students seeking help for themselves or a friend and 95% believing the program also reduces stigma in schools.

The district has been delivering SOS for Students to the entire student body for two years, teaching the program’s life-saving skills to 88,000 middle and high school students each year. For schools considering suicide prevention, Dr. Conolly shares her thoughts: “Every life is precious, and every life is valuable. Out of all the money you can spend on curriculum and other things, this is a drop in the bucket when it comes to saving a life. This program truly helps save lives.”

88,000

students reached annually with SOS.
90%

of schools using SOS report an increase in students seeking help.
95%

of schools believe the program reduces stigma around suicide.

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Case Study: Montgomery County School District