Bill Text: NY A06825 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires annual screenings for depression of students in grades seven through twelve; requires the department of education and the department of health to review data pertaining to the results of such screenings for local and statewide trends concerning teenage depression.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-01-03 - referred to education [A06825 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A06825-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6825

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                       May 8, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced by M. of A. SAYEGH -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law and the public health law, in relation
          to  requiring  annual  screenings for depression of students in grades
          seven through twelve

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

     1    Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 905-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3    § 905-a. Screening examination for depression.   1.  The  director  of
     4  school  health  services  of  each school district in this state that is
     5  required to provide school health services, or the health department  or
     6  agency  otherwise  responsible  to  provide such services, shall conduct
     7  annual screening examinations for depression of all students  in  grades
     8  seven through twelve. The screening shall be administered by a qualified
     9  professional  and shall consist of the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 or
    10  an equivalent depression screening tool, as determined  by  the  commis-
    11  sioner,  with  the assistance of the commissioner of health. The screen-
    12  ings shall be conducted in a manner that  ensures  the  privacy  of  the
    13  student  during  the  screening  process  and the confidentiality of the
    14  results consistent with state and federal laws applicable to the  confi-
    15  dentiality  of  student  records. The department, with the assistance of
    16  the department of health, shall establish standards on the procedures to
    17  be implemented to conduct the screenings for depression and provide  for
    18  other  screening  tools, including, but not limited to, a screening tool
    19  for anxiety, such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 or an equivalent
    20  anxiety screening tool, as determined  by  the  commissioner,  with  the
    21  assistance of the commissioner of health.
    22    2. The positive results of any such screening examinations of students
    23  for  depression  shall  be  in  writing  and the parent of, or person in
    24  parental relation to, any child whose screening for depression detects a

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06618-01-3
        A. 6825                             2

     1  suspected deviation from the recommended standard shall  be  advised  of
     2  such  results  by  the  school authorities within ninety days after such
     3  detection of a suspected deviation is made. The school authorities shall
     4  inform the parent, or person in parental relation, that the screening is
     5  not  a  diagnosis  and shall encourage the parent, or person in parental
     6  relation, to share the results  of  the  screening  with  the  student's
     7  primary care physician.
     8    3. The school authorities shall forward data collected from screenings
     9  administered  pursuant to this section to the department and the depart-
    10  ment of health, provided that any data forwarded shall be aggregated and
    11  shall not contain  any  identifying  or  confidential  information  with
    12  regard to any individual.  Data collected by the departments pursuant to
    13  this  subdivision shall be used by the departments to identify statewide
    14  trends concerning teenage depression and to develop school and community
    15  based initiatives to address teenage depression.
    16    4. As used in this section, "qualified professional"  means  a  school
    17  psychologist, school nurse, school counselor, student assistance coordi-
    18  nator, school social worker, or physician.
    19    §  2.  Section 206 of the public health law is amended by adding a new
    20  subdivision 32 to read as follows:
    21    32. The commissioner shall assist the  commissioner  of  education  in
    22  developing  rules  and  regulations relating to the annual screening for
    23  depression of students in grades seven  through  twelve,  in  accordance
    24  with section nine hundred five-a of the education law.
    25    §  3.  This  act  shall  take  effect  on  the first of September next
    26  succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.