BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                    AB 2246


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          Date of Hearing:  April 20, 2016


                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS


                               Lorena Gonzalez, Chair


          AB  
          2246 (O'Donnell) - As Amended March 16, 2016


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          Urgency:  No  State Mandated Local Program:  YesReimbursable:   
          Yes


          SUMMARY:


          This bill requires each school district, county office of  
          education (COE), charter school, and State Special School,  
          serving students in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to adopt a policy  








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          on suicide prevention before the beginning of the 2017-18 school  
          year. Specifically, this bill:  


          1)Requires the policy to be developed in consultation with  
            school and community stakeholders including, school-employed  
            mental health professionals, and suicide prevention. 


          2)Requires the policy to, at a minimum, address procedures  
            relating to suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention  
            and address the needs of high-risk groups, including, but not  
            limited to, all of the following:


             a)   Youth bereaved by suicide,


             b)    Youth with disabilities, mental illness, or substance  
               use disorders,


             c)   Youth experiencing homelessness or in out-of-home  
               settings, such as foster care; and,


             d)   Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning  
               youth.


          3)Requires the policy to address teacher training and requires  
            local educational agencies (LEAs) to approve materials for  
            training. These materials must include how to identify  
            appropriate mental health services, both within the schoolsite  
            and also within the larger community, and when and how to  
            refer youth and their families to those services. Further  
            authorizes approved materials to include programs that can be  
            completed through self-review of suitable suicide prevention  
            materials.








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          4)Requires the policy to ensure that school employees act only  
            within the authorization or scope of their credential or  
            license. States that nothing the bill is construed as  
            authorizing or encouraging school employees to diagnose or  
            treat mental illness unless they are specifically licensed and  
            employed to do so.





          5)Requires the California Department of Education (CDE), to  
            assist LEAs in developing policies for student suicide  
            prevention and to develop and maintain a model policy to serve  
            as a guide for LEAs.



          


          FISCAL EFFECT:


          1)Proposition 98/GF state reimbursable costs, likely in the  
            hundreds of thousands, for each school district, county office  
            of education (COE), charter school, and State Special School,  
            serving students in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, to adopt a  
            policy on suicide prevention.  There are approximately 1,600  
            LEAs that would be required to develop a policy.  Actual costs  
            will depend on how local education agencies choose to  
            implement the requirements of the bill.


          2)One-time General Fund administrative costs to the CDE of  
            approximately $46,000 to develop a model policy on suicide  
            prevention. The department will collaborate with stakeholders  








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            to create and disseminate the policy and provide technical  
            assistance to LEAs for adoption.


          COMMENTS:


            Purpose. According to the author, school personnel who  
            interact with students on a daily basis are in a prime  
            position to recognize warning signs of suicide and make  
            appropriate referrals for help.  A national study conducted by  
            the Jason Foundation found that a teacher is the number one  
            person a student would contact to help a friend who might be  
            suicidal. When a young person comes to a teacher for help, it  
            is vital that she has the knowledge, skills, and resources to  
            respond appropriately. This bill proposes to address youth  
            suicide prevention by requiring school districts to adopt  
            suicide prevention policies. Six other states (Pennsylvania,  
            Georgia, Maine, Connecticut, Utah, and Washington) have  
            enacted legislation requiring school districts to adopt  
            suicide prevention policies. Many other states provide model  
            suicide prevention policies for their school districts, as  
            this bill requires.














          Analysis Prepared by:Misty Feusahrens / APPR. / (916)  
          319-2081








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