(1) The board of a school district or board of directors of a public school academy is encouraged to provide age-appropriate instruction for pupils and professional development for school personnel concerning the warning signs and risk factors for suicide and depression and the protective factors that help prevent suicide. The instruction and professional development shall be designed to achieve the following goals:

• (a) To prevent both fatal and nonfatal suicide behaviors among youth.
• (b) To increase pupil awareness of the warning signs and risk factors for suicide and depression.
• (c) To improve access to appropriate prevention services for vulnerable youth groups.

(3) The department shall develop or select model programs and materials on suicide prevention and awareness that are appropriate for the purposes of this section, such as the Michigan model for comprehensive school health education, and shall make those model programs and materials available to school districts and public school academies.

Suicide prevention is taught as part of health education.