AB 2246, as amended, O'Donnell. Pupil suicide prevention policies.
Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and provides for the establishment of school districts and other local educational agencies to operate these schools and provide instruction to pupils. Existing law establishes the State Department of Education in state government and vests the department with specified powers and duties relating to the state’s public school system.
This bill would require the governing board or body of a local educational agency, as defined, that serves pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to, before the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, adopt a policy on pupil suicide prevention, as specified, that specifically addresses the needs of high-risk groups. By imposing additional duties on local educational agencies, the bill would impose a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the department to develop and maintain a model policy to serve as a guide for local educational agencies.
The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement.
This bill would provide that, if the Commission on State Mandates determines that the bill contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement for those costs shall be made pursuant to these statutory provisions.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: yes.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
The Legislature finds and declares all of the
2following:
3(a) According to the latest 2013 data from the federal Centers
4for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading
5cause of death for youth and young adults 10 to 24 years of age,
6inclusive.
7(b) As children and teens spend a significant amount of their
8young lives in school, the personnelbegin delete thatend deletebegin insert whoend insert interact with them
9on a daily basis are in a
prime position to recognize the warning
10signs of suicide and make the appropriate referrals for help.
11(c) In a national survey conducted by the Jason Foundation, the
12number one personbegin delete whoend deletebegin insert whomend insert a pupil would turn to for helping
13a friend who might be suicidal was a teacher. It is imperative that
14when a young person comes to a teacher for help, the teacher has
15the knowledge, tools, and resources to respond.
16(d) There are national hotlines available to help adults and
17lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning (LGBTQ) youth
18experiencing suicidal ideation, including the National Suicide
19Prevention Lifeline and
the Trevor Project, respectively.
20(e) According to the Family Acceptance Project, research has
21found that, for an LGBTQ youth, having at least one supportive
22adult can reduce the youth’s risk of suicide.
23(f) A model policy on suicide prevention created in consultation
24with suicide prevention experts and other stakeholders is available
25through the Trevor Project for adoption or adaptation, or both, by
26the State Department of Education and local educational agencies.
Article 2.5 (commencing with Section 215) is added
2to Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 1 of Title 1 of the Education
3Code, to read:
4
(a) (1) The governing board or body of a local
8educational agency that serves pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive,
9shall, before the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, adopt, at
10a regularly scheduled meeting, a policy on pupil suicide
prevention
11in grades 7 to 12, inclusive. The policy shall be developed in
12consultation with school and community stakeholders,
13school-employed mental health professionals, and suicide
14preventionbegin delete experts,end deletebegin insert expertsend insert and shall, at a minimum, address
15procedures relating to suicide prevention, intervention, and
16postvention.
17(2) The policy shall specifically address the needs of high-risk
18groups, including, but not limited to, all of the following:
19(A) Youth bereaved by suicide.
20(B) Youth with disabilities, mental illness, or substance use
21disorders.
22(C) Youth experiencing homelessness or in out-of-home
settings,
23such as foster care.
24(D) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning youth.
25(3) (A) The policy shall also address any training to be provided
26to teachers of pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, on suicide
27awareness and prevention.
28(B) Materials approved by a local educational agency for
29training shall include how to identify appropriate mental health
30services, bothbegin delete withinend deletebegin insert atend insert the schoolsite andbegin delete alsoend delete within the larger
31community, and
when and how to refer youth and their families
32to those services.
33(C) Materials approved for training may also include programs
34that can be completed through self-review of suitable suicide
35prevention materials.
36(4) The policy shall be written to ensure that a school employee
37acts only within the authorization and scope of the employee’s
38credential or license. Nothing in this section shall be construed as
39authorizing or encouraging a school employee to diagnose or treat
P4 1mental illness unless the employee is specifically licensed and
2employed to do so.
3(5) To assist local educational agencies in developing policies
4for pupil suicide prevention, the department shall develop and
5maintain a model policy in accordance
with this section to serve
6as a guide for local educational agencies.
7(b) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency”
8means a county office of education, school district, state special
9school, or charter school.
If the Commission on State Mandates determines that
11this act contains costs mandated by the state, reimbursement to
12local agencies and school districts for those costs shall be made
13pursuant to Part 7 (commencing with Section 17500) of Division
144 of Title 2 of the Government Code.
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