Indiana 2022 Regular Session

Indiana Senate Bill SB0174 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	Introduced Version
3	3	SENATE BILL No. 174
4	4	_____
5	5	DIGEST OF INTRODUCED BILL
6	6	Citations Affected: IC 20-33-2; IC 20-34-3-27; IC 21-7-13;
7	7	IC 21-18-16; IC 21-48-1.
8	8	Synopsis: Student health. Requires the governing body of a school
9	9	corporation or chief administrative officer of a nonpublic school system
10	10	to authorize the absence and excuse of a student due to the student's
11	11	mental or behavioral health concerns. Limits the number of excused
12	12	absences for mental or behavioral health concerns, without
13	13	documentation, to three instructional days in a school year. Allows a
14	14	student to be excused for more than three instructional days if the
15	15	student provides certain documentation. Requires that a school selected
16	16	to participate in the United States Centers for Disease Control and
17	17	Prevention's Youth Risk Behaviors Survey or a successor survey
18	18	participate in the survey. Provides that the commission for higher
19	19	education shall, before January 1, 2023, work with the statewide
20	20	suicide prevention coordinator to develop a suicide prevention training
21	21	for students at each state educational institution (institution). Requires
22	22	each student at an institution, after July 1, 2023, to participate in the
23	23	training in the student's first year at the institution. Requires each
24	24	institution to collect and report certain information concerning suicide
25	25	prevention to the statewide suicide prevention coordinator. Establishes
26	26	a mental health and suicide prevention in higher education task force
27	27	(task force). Provides that the task force shall create a statewide suicide
28	28	prevention resource guide for institutions. Makes conforming changes.
29	29	Effective: July 1, 2022.
30	30	Ford J.D.
31	31	January 6, 2022, read first time and referred to Committee on Education and Career
32	32	Development.
33	33	2022 IN 174—LS 6318/DI 147 Introduced
34	34	Second Regular Session of the 122nd General Assembly (2022)
35	35	PRINTING CODE. Amendments: Whenever an existing statute (or a section of the Indiana
36	36	Constitution) is being amended, the text of the existing provision will appear in this style type,
37	37	additions will appear in this style type, and deletions will appear in this style type.
38	38	Additions: Whenever a new statutory provision is being enacted (or a new constitutional
39	39	provision adopted), the text of the new provision will appear in this style type. Also, the
40	40	word NEW will appear in that style type in the introductory clause of each SECTION that adds
41	41	a new provision to the Indiana Code or the Indiana Constitution.
42	42	Conflict reconciliation: Text in a statute in this style type or this style type reconciles conflicts
43	43	between statutes enacted by the 2021 Regular Session of the General Assembly.
44	44	SENATE BILL No. 174
45	45	A BILL FOR AN ACT to amend the Indiana Code concerning
46	46	education.
47	47	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Indiana:
48	48	1 SECTION 1. IC 20-33-2-14, AS AMENDED BY P.L.90-2011,
49	49	2 SECTION 42, IS AMENDED TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
50	50	3 JULY 1, 2022]: Sec. 14. (a) This section and sections 15 through 17.5
51	51	4 17.9 of this chapter apply to a student who attends either a public
52	52	5 school or a nonpublic school.
53	53	6 (b) The governing body of each school corporation shall have a
54	54	7 policy outlining the conditions for excused and unexcused absences.
55	55	8 The policy must include the grounds for excused absences required by
56	56	9 sections 15 through 17.5 17.9 of this chapter or another law. Any
57	57	10 absence that results in a person not attending at least one hundred
58	58	11 eighty (180) days in a school year must be in accordance with the
59	59	12 governing body's policy to qualify as an excused absence.
60	60	13 (c) Service as a page for or as an honoree of the general assembly
61	61	14 is a lawful excuse for a student to be absent from school, when verified
62	62	15 by a certificate of the secretary of the senate or the chief clerk of the
63	63	16 house of representatives. A student excused from school attendance
64	64	17 under this section may not be recorded as being absent on any date for
65	65	2022 IN 174—LS 6318/DI 147 2
66	66	1 which the excuse is operative and may not be penalized by the school
67	67	2 in any manner.
68	68	3 SECTION 2. IC 20-33-2-17.9 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
69	69	4 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
70	70	5 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2022]: Sec. 17.9. (a) The governing body of
71	71	6 a school corporation or the chief administrative officer of a
72	72	7 nonpublic school system shall authorize the absence and excuse of
73	73	8 a school student if the absence is caused by the student's mental or
74	74	9 behavioral health concerns.
75	75	10 (b) Except as provided in subsection (c), the number of excused
76	76	11 absences a student may receive under this section may not exceed
77	77	12 three (3) instructional days in a school year.
78	78	13 (c) A student may be excused for more than three (3)
79	79	14 instructional days in a school year if the student provides to school
80	80	15 authorities documentation from a physician, psychologist, or
81	81	16 psychiatrist verifying the need for the student's absence.
82	82	17 (d) A student excused from school attendance under this section
83	83	18 may not be:
84	84	19 (1) recorded as being absent on any date for which the excuse
85	85	20 is operative; or
86	86	21 (2) penalized by the school in any manner.
87	87	22 SECTION 3. IC 20-34-3-27 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
88	88	23 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
89	89	24 1, 2022]: Sec. 27. (a) As used in this section, "school" means any of
90	90	25 the following:
91	91	26 (1) A charter school.
92	92	27 (2) A nonpublic school with at least one (1) employee.
93	93	28 (b) A school or school corporation that is selected to participate
94	94	29 in the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
95	95	30 Youth Risk Behaviors Survey or a successor survey shall
96	96	31 participate in the survey.
97	97	32 SECTION 4. IC 21-7-13-26.7 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
98	98	33 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
99	99	34 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2022]: Sec. 26.7. "Postvention" means an
100	100	35 organized response in the aftermath of a suicide to facilitate the
101	101	36 healing of individuals from the grief and distress of suicide loss or
102	102	37 mitigate other negative effects of exposure to suicide.
103	103	38 SECTION 5. IC 21-7-13-28.5 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA
104	104	39 CODE AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS
105	105	40 [EFFECTIVE JULY 1, 2022]: Sec. 28.5. "Reentry" refers to a
106	106	41 student's return to class after the student has been exposed to
107	107	42 suicide or attempted suicide.
108	108	2022 IN 174—LS 6318/DI 147 3
109	109	1 SECTION 6. IC 21-18-16 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
110	110	2 AS A NEW CHAPTER TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE
111	111	3 JULY 1, 2022]:
112	112	4 Chapter 16. Mental Health and Suicide Prevention in Higher
113	113	5 Education Task Force
114	114	6 Sec. 1. As used in this chapter, "task force" refers to the mental
115	115	7 health and suicide prevention in higher education task force.
116	116	8 Sec. 2. The mental health and suicide prevention in higher
117	117	9 education task force is established.
118	118	10 Sec. 3. The task force consists of the following members:
119	119	11 (1) The members of the commission.
120	120	12 (2) One (1) member appointed by the commissioner of the
121	121	13 state department of health who represents the state
122	122	14 department of health.
123	123	15 (3) One (1) member appointed by the governor who is a
124	124	16 suicide prevention expert.
125	125	17 (4) One (1) member appointed by the governor who
126	126	18 represents an organization dedicated to supporting veterans.
127	127	19 (5) One (1) member appointed by the governor who is
128	128	20 affiliated with an emergency medical services provider.
129	129	21 (6) One (1) member appointed by the governor who is a
130	130	22 community mental or behavioral health provider.
131	131	23 (7) Four (4) members appointed by the governor as follows:
132	132	24 (A) One (1) member who is employed as the director or
133	133	25 executive director of a mental health counseling center at
134	134	26 a state educational institution.
135	135	27 (B) One (1) member who is employed as the director or
136	136	28 executive director of a mental health counseling center at
137	137	29 a nonprofit college or university.
138	138	30 (C) One (1) member who is employed as the director or
139	139	31 executive director of a mental health counseling center at
140	140	32 a private college or university.
141	141	33 (D) One (1) member who is employed as the director or
142	142	34 executive director of a mental health counseling center at
143	143	35 a community or technical college.
144	144	36 Sec. 4. The members appointed by the governor under section
145	145	37 3 of this chapter must reflect the racial, gender, geographic, urban,
146	146	38 rural, and economic diversity of Indiana.
147	147	39 Sec. 5. If a vacancy occurs in the membership of the task force,
148	148	40 the appointing authority that appointed the member whose
149	149	41 position is vacant shall appoint an individual to fill the vacancy.
150	150	42 Sec. 6. The task force shall elect one (1) member to serve as the
151	151	2022 IN 174—LS 6318/DI 147 4
152	152	1 chairperson of the task force and one (1) member to serve as the
153	153	2 vice chairperson of the task force.
154	154	3 Sec. 7. The task force shall meet upon the call of the
155	155	4 chairperson.
156	156	5 Sec. 8. The commission shall staff the task force.
157	157	6 Sec. 9. The affirmative votes of a majority of the members of the
158	158	7 task force are required for the task force to take action on any
159	159	8 measure.
160	160	9 Sec. 10. (a) The task force shall develop a statewide resource
161	161	10 guide on mental health and suicide prevention for state educational
162	162	11 institutions.
163	163	12 (b) The statewide resource guide required by subsection (a)
164	164	13 must include the following:
165	165	14 (1) A free curriculum to train students, staff, and faculty of a
166	166	15 state educational institution concerning:
167	167	16 (A) screening methods for suicide risk; and
168	168	17 (B) appropriate referrals;
169	169	18 including methods of addressing the specific needs of
170	170	19 veterans.
171	171	20 (2) A model crisis protocol, per sector, on the identification of
172	172	21 mental health issues and suicidal behavior, intervention,
173	173	22 reentry, and postvention.
174	174	23 (3) Model marketing materials to promote student mental
175	175	24 health in higher education.
176	176	25 (4) Culturally relevant mental health and suicide prevention
177	177	26 resources for diverse communities and underrepresented
178	178	27 populations.
179	179	28 (c) The task force shall make the statewide resource guide
180	180	29 publicly available on the commission's Internet web site.
181	181	30 Sec. 11. In addition to the duty outlined under section 10 of this
182	182	31 chapter, the task force shall do the following:
183	183	32 (1) Serve as a resource for a state educational institution to
184	184	33 provide suicide prevention training for students, as required
185	185	34 by IC 21-48-1-2.
186	186	35 (2) Develop an annual conference for state educational
187	187	36 institutions concerning student mental health and suicide
188	188	37 prevention.
189	189	38 (3) Plan and host the first annual conference described in
190	190	39 subdivision (2).
191	191	40 Sec. 12. (a) Each member of the task force who is not a state
192	192	41 employee is entitled to reimbursement for traveling expenses as
193	193	42 provided under IC 4-13-1-4 and other expenses actually incurred
194	194	2022 IN 174—LS 6318/DI 147 5
195	195	1 in connection with the member's duties as provided in the state
196	196	2 policies and procedures established by the department of
197	197	3 administration and approved by the budget agency.
198	198	4 (b) Each member of the task force who is a state employee but
199	199	5 who is not a member of the general assembly is entitled to
200	200	6 reimbursement for traveling expenses as provided under
201	201	7 IC 4-13-1-4 and other expenses actually incurred in connection
202	202	8 with the member's duties as provided in the state policies and
203	203	9 procedures established by the department of administration and
204	204	10 approved by the budget agency.
205	205	11 (c) Each member of the task force who is a member of the
206	206	12 general assembly is entitled to receive the same per diem, mileage,
207	207	13 and travel allowances paid to members of the general assembly
208	208	14 serving on interim study committees established by the legislative
209	209	15 council.
210	210	16 SECTION 7. IC 21-48-1-2 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
211	211	17 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
212	212	18 1, 2022]: Sec. 2. (a) Before January 1, 2023, the commission, in
213	213	19 consultation with the coordinator of the statewide program for
214	214	20 suicide prevention employed under IC 12-21-5-5, shall develop a
215	215	21 suicide prevention training program to be administered to students
216	216	22 at each state educational institution.
217	217	23 (b) After July 1, 2023, each student at a state educational
218	218	24 institution shall participate in the training developed under
219	219	25 subsection (a) during the student's first year at the state
220	220	26 educational institution.
221	221	27 SECTION 8. IC 21-48-1-3 IS ADDED TO THE INDIANA CODE
222	222	28 AS A NEW SECTION TO READ AS FOLLOWS [EFFECTIVE JULY
223	223	29 1, 2022]: Sec. 3. (a) Each state educational institution shall, for each
224	224	30 academic year and in accordance with the state educational
225	225	31 institution's established data collection requirements, collect the
226	226	32 following information:
227	227	33 (1) The ratio of counselors to students at the state educational
228	228	34 institution.
229	229	35 (2) The number of students who were referred to a behavioral
230	230	36 health provider off-campus.
231	231	37 (3) The number of students who withdrew from the state
232	232	38 educational institution and identified emotional distress as a
233	233	39 reason for withdrawal.
234	234	40 (4) The number of student deaths caused by suicide.
235	235	41 (5) The number of students who attempted suicide and, as a
236	236	42 result, were hospitalized.
237	237	2022 IN 174—LS 6318/DI 147 6
238	238	1 (6) Information concerning the dissemination of mental health
239	239	2 and suicide prevention resource materials available at the
240	240	3 state educational institution and off-campus.
241	241	4 (7) Confirmation that the state educational institution has
242	242	5 developed, or is developing, a suicide prevention training
243	243	6 program.
244	244	7 (8) The student groups or organizations the state educational
245	245	8 institution has identified to participate in the suicide
246	246	9 prevention training program.
247	247	10 (9) The office or division at the state educational institution
248	248	11 that is responsible for developing and maintaining a crisis
249	249	12 protocol for the identification of suicide risk, appropriate
250	250	13 intervention, reentry, and postvention.
251	251	14 (10) The name of the individual who is responsible for the
252	252	15 crisis protocol described in subdivision (9).
253	253	16 (11) Information on mental health services on-campus that
254	254	17 support and are available to veterans.
255	255	18 (b) Not later than December 31 each year, each state
256	256	19 educational institution shall submit the information collected under
257	257	20 subsection (a) during the preceding academic year to the
258	258	21 coordinator of the statewide program for suicide prevention
259	259	22 employed under IC 12-21-5-5.
260	260	23 (c) If a state educational institution does not collect or have
261	261	24 access to the information in subsection (a), the state educational
262	262	25 institution shall indicate in the report that the state educational
263	263	26 institution:
264	264	27 (1) did not collect; or
265	265	28 (2) does not have access to;
266	266	29 the information.
267	267	2022 IN 174—LS 6318/DI 147