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A04703 Summary:

BILL NOA04703
 
SAME ASSAME AS S04176
 
SPONSORGandolfo
 
COSPNSRRaga
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd 7.07, Ment Hyg L; add 804-e, Ed L
 
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.
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A04703 Actions:

BILL NOA04703
 
02/22/2023referred to education
04/18/2023held for consideration in education
01/03/2024referred to education
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A04703 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A4703
 
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   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
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A04703 Text:



 
                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.
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