Relates to suicide prevention; provides that the office of mental health and the education department shall identify or develop materials for educators regarding suicide prevention measures and signs of depression among school-aged students; provides that related information shall be available on the Internet and may be included in schools.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
3384
2015-2016 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 22, 2015
___________
Introduced by M. of A. McDONALD -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law and the education law, in
relation to suicide prevention
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 (g) to read as follows:
3 (g) The office, in consultation with the education department, shall
4 identify or develop materials for educators regarding suicide prevention
5 measures and signs of depression among school-aged youth which may be
6 used by school districts and boards of cooperative educational services,
7 at their option, to educate students as they deem appropriate. Such
8 educational materials shall include, but not be limited to, information
9 regarding symptoms of depression, how depression manifests itself in
10 different cultures, warning signs of suicide, actions to take once a
11 youth is identified as a risk of suicide, and a list of educational
12 websites regarding suicide and youths. Such material shall be available
13 on the internet website of the education department. The website of the
14 office shall provide a hyperlink to the internet page of the education
15 department that displays such materials.
16 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to
17 read as follows:
18 § 804-e. Instruction related to the prevention of suicide among
19 youths. 1. The commissioner shall make available, on the department
20 website, materials pursuant to subdivision (g) of section 7.07 of the
21 mental hygiene law among school-aged youth identified or developed by
22 the office of mental health in consultation with the department.
23 2. Instruction regarding the prevention of suicide may be included in
24 the health education provided for to all secondary school pupils and
25 shall be taught by teachers certified in health education. Related
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD01906-01-5
A. 3384 2
1 courses in the secondary school curriculum may be taught in a manner
2 supportive of health education regarding the prevention of suicide among
3 youths.
4 3. School authorities shall be authorized to provide the needed facil-
5 ities, time, and place for the instruction set forth in this section and
6 to provide learning aids and curriculum resource materials which
7 contribute to effective teaching methods and learning in health educa-
8 tion regarding the prevention of suicide among youths.
9 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding
10 the date on which it shall have become a law.
