Bill Text: NY A04703 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the office of mental health to develop materials relating to suicide prevention and identifying signs of depression for school-aged children; authorizes school districts to include suicide prevention in health class curriculum.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 2-1)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to education [A04703 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A04703-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          4703

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                    February 22, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. GANDOLFO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Education

        AN  ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to developing mate-
          rials relating to suicide prevention for school-aged children, and  to
          amend  the  education law, in relation to including suicide prevention
          in health education curriculum

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. Section 7.07 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
     2  a new subdivision (i) to read as follows:
     3    (i)  The  office shall, in consultation with the education department,
     4  identify or develop materials for educators regarding suicide prevention
     5  measures and signs of depression among school-aged children which may be
     6  used by school districts and boards of cooperative educational services,
     7  at their option, to educate students about such topics as such districts
     8  and boards deem appropriate. Such educational materials  shall  include,
     9  but not be limited to, information regarding symptoms of depression, how
    10  depression  manifests  itself  in  different  cultures, warning signs of
    11  suicide, actions to take once  a  child  is  identified  as  a  risk  of
    12  suicide,  social media safety and the prevention of cyberbullying, and a
    13  list of educational websites regarding suicide and children. Such  mate-
    14  rial  shall  be  available  on  the  education department's website. The
    15  office shall provide a hyperlink on its  website  to  the  page  of  the
    16  education department's website that displays such materials.
    17    §  2.  The  education  law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to
    18  read as follows:
    19    § 804-e. Instruction regarding the prevention of suicide among school-
    20  aged children. 1. The commissioner shall make available on  the  depart-
    21  ment  website  materials identified or developed by the office of mental
    22  health in consultation with the department pursuant to  subdivision  (h)
    23  of section 7.07 of the mental hygiene law.

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06879-01-3
        A. 4703                             2

     1    2.  Instruction regarding the prevention of suicide may be included in
     2  the health education provided to all secondary school pupils  and  shall
     3  be  taught by teachers certified in health education. Related courses in
     4  the secondary school curriculum may be taught in a manner supportive  of
     5  health  education  regarding the prevention of suicide among school-aged
     6  children.
     7    3. School authorities shall be authorized  to  provide  the  necessary
     8  facilities, time and place for the instruction set forth in this section
     9  and  to  provide  learning  aids and curriculum resource materials which
    10  contribute to effective teaching methods and learning in  health  educa-
    11  tion  regarding  the  prevention  of  suicide among school-aged children
    12  including instruction in social  media  safety  and  the  prevention  of
    13  cyberbullying.
    14    §  3.  This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
    15  the date on which it shall have become a law.