Despite the addition of state requirements in Ohio that require approved suicide prevention programming in schools, suicide rates among youth remain elevated and are the second leading cause of death among youth aged 10-24 in Ohio. While state mandates can help drive meaningful changes in communities, they ultimately define the minimum requirements for schools as opposed to establishing model best practices that achieve best outcomes. There also exist many barriers impacting all helping and youth serving professionals that increase the challenge of implementing best practices in the community. This presentation will 1) explore the differences between state requirements and established best practices in suicide prevention programing, 2) suggest strategies that innovatively combine existing resources and programs to increase the efficacy of programing in school settings and provide opportunity to explore pathways toward improving programing to promote best outcomes in youth.