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.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A2406
SPONSOR: Gandolfo TITLE OF BILL:
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
PURPOSE::
The purpose of this bill is to require the Office of Mental Health in
consultation with the State Education Department to identify or develop
materials relating to suicide prevention in school-aged children,
including materials regarding social media safety and cyberbullying.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section one requires the Office of Mental Health and the State Education
Department to identify or develop materials for educators regarding
suicide prevention among school aged youth and requires materials to be
made available on the State Education Departments website, including
information regarding social media safety and the prevention of cyber-
bullying.
Section two requires the commissioner of the education department to
make materials available on the departments website and also that
instruction regarding the prevention of suicide, social media safety and
cyberbullying may be provided to all secondary school pupils and shall
be taught by teachers certified in health education.
JUSTIFICATION::
It is critical that we make materials available to students that bring
awareness to the importance of suicide prevention as well as social
media safety and cyberbullying.
Since youth spend a vast majority of their time in an educational envi-
ronment, it is important that educators and staff members are aware of
the mental well-being of students. This' bill would provide resources to
education staff on the risk of suicide, how to prevent its occur-
rence,and on factors such as social media,safety and cyberbullying which
may trigger feelings of helplessness and suicide in teens and young
adults.
Schools and educators will have the materials they need to inform
students about the resources available should a student have suicidal
thoughts, as well as information regarding the dangers that exist when
social media is misused.
The recent, tragic loss of two young residents of St Lawrence county,
and countless other similar tragedies around our state have demonstrated
the need to raise awareness of the dangers that can exist online and on
social media, as well as to provide resources to young people who are
experiencing feelings of helplessness and suicide.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
2021-2022: A.9030-held for consideration in education;
2023-2024: A.4703-referred to education
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2406
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 16, 2025
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GANDOLFO, RAGA, BRABENEC -- read once and
referred to the Committee 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 (i)
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.
LBD00106-01-5
A. 2406 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.
