BILL ANALYSIS Ó
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|SENATE RULES COMMITTEE | AB 2246|
|Office of Senate Floor Analyses | |
|(916) 651-1520 Fax: (916) | |
|327-4478 | |
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THIRD READING
Bill No: AB 2246
Author: O'Donnell (D), et al.
Amended: 6/9/16 in Senate
Vote: 21
SENATE EDUCATION COMMITTEE: 9-0, 6/15/16
AYES: Liu, Block, Hancock, Huff, Leyva, Mendoza, Monning, Pan,
Vidak
SENATE APPROPRIATIONS COMMITTEE: 6-0, 8/11/16
AYES: Lara, Beall, Hill, McGuire, Mendoza, Nielsen
NO VOTE RECORDED: Bates
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 67-6, 6/1/16 - See last page for vote
SUBJECT: Pupil suicide prevention policies
SOURCE: Author
DIGEST: This bill requires local educational agencies (LEAs)
that serve students in grades 7 to 12 to adopt policies on the
prevention of student suicides and also requires the California
Department of Education (CDE) to develop and maintain a model
suicide prevention policy.
ANALYSIS: Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public
Instruction (SPI) to send a notice to each middle school, junior
high school, and high school that encourages each school to
provide suicide prevention training to each school counselor at
least one time while employed as a counselor, provides
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Page 2
information on the availability of the suicide prevention
training curriculum developed by the CDE, and informs schools
about the suicide prevention training provided by the department
and describes how a school might retain those services.
This bill:
1)Makes various findings and declarations regarding student
suicides, as specified.
2)Requires LEAs that serve students in grades 7 to 12 to adopt,
before the beginning of the 2017-18 school year, at a
regularly scheduled meeting, a policy on student suicide
prevention for students in those grades.
3)Requires the policy to be developed in consultation with school
and community stakeholders, school-employed mental health
professionals, and suicide prevention experts.
4)Requires that these policies address, at a minimum, procedures
relating to suicide prevention, intervention, and
postvention.
5)Requires that the policies specifically address the needs of
high-risk groups, including:
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, including foster care.
d) Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or questioning
youth.
6)Requires that the policy address any training to be provided to
teachers of students in grades 7 to 12, on suicide awareness
and prevention.
7)Requires that materials approved by an LEA for training include
how to identify appropriate mental health services, both at
the schoolsite and also within the larger community, and when
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and how to refer youth and their families to those services.
8)Provides that materials approved for training may also include
programs that can be completed through self-review of
suitable suicide prevention materials.
9)Requires the policy to be written to ensure that school
employees act only within the authorization or scope of their
credential or license. Provides that nothing in this section
shall be construed as authorizing or encouraging school
employees to diagnose or treat mental illness unless they are
specifically licensed and employed to do so.
10)Requires the CDE to assist LEAs in developing policies for
student suicide prevention, to develop and maintain a model
policy to serve as a guide for LEAs.
11)Defines LEA as a county office of education, school district,
state special school, or charter school.
Comments
Need for the bill. The author's office indicates that
"according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC), suicide is the second leading cause of death among young
people aged 10-24. The CDC also reports that 17% of high school
students have seriously considered attempting suicide - and 8%
had attempted suicide - in the prior 12 months. Certain
students are at higher risk of suicide, including those with
disabilities, with mental health or substance abuse disorders,
in foster care, and those who are lesbian, gay, bisexual,
transgender, or questioning. Students who are bereaved by
suicide are also at greater risk. 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."
This bill is intended to address youth suicide prevention by
requiring school districts to adopt suicide prevention
policies. These policies would be developed in consultation
with school and community stakeholders and experts in the field
of suicide prevention, and address the needs of high-risk
groups of students.
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Youth suicide. A national study conducted by the Jason
Foundation found that the number one person a student would
contact to help a friend who might be suicidal was a teacher.
When a young person comes to a teacher for help, it is vital
that she has the knowledge, skills, and resources to respond
appropriately. Additionally, according to the Lucile Packard
Foundation for Children's Health, which compiles and reports
data from state agency sources:
In 2011-13, nearly 20% of California public school students in
grades 9, 11, and nontraditional classes reported seriously
considering attempting suicide in the past year.
Reported suicidal ideation is higher among female students and
among students from multiracial and Native Hawaiian/Pacific
Islander backgrounds.
In 2013, 481 California youth ages 5-24 were known to have
committed suicide.
The state's youth suicide rate in 2011-13 was 7.7 per 100,000
youth ages 15-24, slightly higher than previous years, but
substantially lower than the rate in 1995-97 (9.4 per
100,000).
In 2013, males accounted for almost 80% of youth suicides in
California (354 of 452). Statewide and nationally, many more
male youth (ages 15-24) than female youth commit suicide.
In 2013, there were 3,322 hospitalizations for non-fatal
self-inflicted injuries among children and youth ages 5-20 in
California.
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In 2013, 62% of hospitalizations for self-inflicted injuries
in California involved youth ages 16-20.
FISCAL EFFECT: Appropriation: No Fiscal
Com.:YesLocal: Yes
According to the Senate Appropriations Committee, this bill
imposes a likely significant reimbursable state mandate on LEAs
to create suicide prevention plans, as specified. Costs will
vary by LEA but could be in the mid to high hundreds of
thousands statewide, one-time, to develop the plan. The CDE
also estimates one-time costs of $55,000 to develop and maintain
a model policy to serve as a guide for LEAs. (General Fund)
SUPPORT: (Verified8/12/16)
Alameda County Office of Education
American Academy of Pediatrics
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
California Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies
California Federation of Teachers
California School Employees Association
California State PTA
California Teachers Association
California Youth Empowerment Network
Child Abuse Prevention Center
Disability Rights California
Equality California
GSA Network of California
Los Angeles LGBT Center
Mental Health America in California
National Association of Social Workers - California Chapter
Trevor Project
Several individuals
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OPPOSITION: (Verified8/12/16)
None received
ASSEMBLY FLOOR: 67-6, 6/1/16
AYES: Achadjian, Alejo, Travis Allen, Arambula, Atkins, Baker,
Bigelow, Bloom, Bonilla, Bonta, Brown, Burke, Calderon,
Campos, Chang, Chau, Chiu, Chu, Cooley, Cooper, Dababneh,
Daly, Dodd, Eggman, Frazier, Cristina Garcia, Eduardo Garcia,
Gatto, Gipson, Gomez, Gonzalez, Gordon, Gray, Roger Hernández,
Holden, Irwin, Jones-Sawyer, Kim, Lackey, Levine, Linder,
Lopez, Low, Maienschein, Mathis, McCarty, Medina, Mullin,
Nazarian, O'Donnell, Olsen, Quirk, Ridley-Thomas, Rodriguez,
Salas, Santiago, Steinorth, Mark Stone, Thurmond, Ting,
Wagner, Waldron, Weber, Wilk, Williams, Wood, Rendon
NOES: Brough, Grove, Harper, Jones, Mayes, Obernolte
NO VOTE RECORDED: Chávez, Dahle, Beth Gaines, Gallagher,
Hadley, Melendez, Patterson
Prepared by:Lenin DelCastillo / ED. / (916) 651-4105
8/15/16 20:22:16
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