Missouri 2025 Regular Session

Missouri Senate Bill SB695 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1
2	2	EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
3	3	and is intended to be omitted in the law.
4	4	FIRST REGULAR SESSION
5	5	SENATE BILL NO. 695
6	6	103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
7	7	INTRODUCED BY SENATOR NURRENBERN.
8	8	2352S.02I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
9	9	AN ACT
10	10	To repeal sections 170.047, 170.048, and 170.307, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof three new
11	11	sections relating to mental health efforts in public schools, with an emergency clause
12	12	for a certain section.
13	13
14	14	Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
15	15	Section A. Sections 170.047, 170.048, and 170.307, RSMo, 1
16	16	are repealed and three new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to 2
17	17	be known as sections 170.047, 170.048, and 170.307, to read as 3
18	18	follows:4
19	19	170.047. 1. This section shall be known and may be 1
20	20	cited as the "Jason Flatt/Avery Reine Cantor Act". 2
21	21	2. (1) Beginning in the 2017 -18 school year and 3
22	22	continuing until the end of the 2022 -23 school year, any 4
23	23	licensed educator may annually complete up to two hours of 5
24	24	training or professional development in youth suicide 6
25	25	awareness and prevention as part of the professional 7
26	26	development hours required for state board of education 8
27	27	certification. 9
28	28	(2) Beginning in the 2023 -24 school year and 10
29	29	continuing in subsequent school years, the practicing 11
30	30	teacher assistance programs established under section 12
31	31	168.400 may offer and include at least two hours of in - 13
32	32	service training provided by each local school district for 14
33	33	all practicing teachers in such district regarding suicide 15
34	34	prevention. Each school year, all teachers, principals, and 16 SB 695 2
35	35	licensed educators in each district may attend such training 17
36	36	or complete training on suicide prevention through self - 18
37	37	review of suicide prevention materials. Attendance at the 19
38	38	training shall count as two contact hours of professional 20
39	39	development under section 168.021 and shall count as two 21
40	40	hours of any other such training required under this section. 22
41	41	(3) Beginning in the 2026 -27 school year and 23
42	42	continuing in subsequent school years, each local school 24
43	43	district shall provide at least two hours of in -service 25
44	44	training regarding suicide prevent ion for all licensed 26
45	45	educators. 27
46	46	3. The department of elementary and secondary 28
47	47	education shall develop guidelines suitable for training or 29
48	48	professional development in youth suicide awareness and 30
49	49	prevention. The department may develop materials th at may 31
50	50	be used for the training described under subsection 2 of 32
51	51	this section or may offer districts materials developed by a 33
52	52	third party that districts may use for the training. 34
53	53	4. For the 2027-28 school year and all subsequent 35
54	54	school years, suicide prevention training described in 36
55	55	subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection 2 of this section and 37
56	56	guidelines and materials developed or used under subsection 38
57	57	3 of this section shall require training on risk and 39
58	58	protective factors, warning signs, respon se procedures, and 40
59	59	postvention support. 41
60	60	5. For purposes of this section, the [term] following 42
61	61	terms mean: 43
62	62	(1) "Licensed educator" shall refer to any teacher 44
63	63	with a certificate of license to teach issued by the state 45
64	64	board of education or a ny other educator or administrator 46
65	65	required to maintain a professional license issued by the 47
66	66	state board of education ; 48 SB 695 3
67	67	(2) "Postvention" shall refer to an organized response 49
68	68	in the aftermath of a suicide to facilitate the healing of 50
69	69	individuals from the grief and distress of suicide loss, to 51
70	70	mitigate other negative effects of exposure to suicide, or 52
71	71	to prevent suicide among people who are at high risk after 53
72	72	exposure to suicide. 54
73	73	[5.] 6. The department of elementary and secondary 55
74	74	education may promulgate rules and regulations to implement 56
75	75	this section. 57
76	76	[6.] 7. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is 58
77	77	defined in section 536.010, that is created under the 59
78	78	authority delegated in this section shall become effective 60
79	79	only if it complies with and is subject to all of the 61
80	80	provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 62
81	81	536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 63
82	82	if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 64
83	83	pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 65
84	84	date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 66
85	85	held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 67
86	86	authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 68
87	87	2016, shall be invalid and void. 69
88	88	170.048. 1. By July 1, 2018, each district shall 1
89	89	adopt a policy for youth suicide awareness and prevention, 2
90	90	including plans for how the district will provide for the 3
91	91	training and education of its district employees. 4
92	92	2. Each district's policy shall address and i nclude, 5
93	93	but not be limited to, the following: 6
94	94	(1) Strategies that can help identify students who are 7
95	95	at possible risk of suicide; 8
96	96	(2) Strategies and protocols for helping students at 9
97	97	possible risk of suicide; and 10
98	98	(3) Protocols for responding to a suicide death. 11 SB 695 4
99	99	3. By July 1, 2017, the department of elementary and 12
100	100	secondary education shall develop a model policy that 13
101	101	districts may adopt. When developing the model policy, the 14
102	102	department shall cooperate, consult with, and seek in put 15
103	103	from organizations that have expertise in youth suicide 16
104	104	awareness and prevention. By July 1, 2021, and at least 17
105	105	every three years thereafter, the department shall request 18
106	106	information and seek feedback from districts on their 19
107	107	experience with the p olicy for youth suicide awareness and 20
108	108	prevention. The department shall review this information 21
109	109	and may use it to adapt the department's model policy. The 22
110	110	department shall post any information on its website that it 23
111	111	has received from districts that it deems relevant. The 24
112	112	department shall not post any confidential information or 25
113	113	any information that personally identifies any student or 26
114	114	school employee. 27
115	115	4. (1) Beginning July 1, [2025] 2026, a public school 28
116	116	or charter school that serves any pu pils in grades seven to 29
117	117	twelve and that issues pupil identification cards shall have 30
118	118	printed on either side of the cards [: 31
119	119	(a)] the three-digit dialing code that directs calls 32
120	120	and routes text messages to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 33
121	121	988[; and 34
122	122	(b) The nonemergency telephone number of the local 35
123	123	police department; and 36
124	124	(c) May have printed on either side of the cards: 37
125	125	a. The six-digit dialing code that routes text 38
126	126	messages to the Crisis Text Line, 741741; and 39
127	127	b. The telephone number of a local suicide prevention 40
128	128	hotline, if such hotline is available ]. 41
129	129	(2) If, on July 1, [2025] 2026, a public school or 42
130	130	charter school subject to the requirements of this 43 SB 695 5
131	131	subsection has a supply of unissued pupil identification 44
132	132	cards that do not comply with the requirements of 45
133	133	subdivision (1) of this subsection, the school shall issue 46
134	134	those cards until that supply is depleted. 47
135	135	(3) Subdivision (1) of this subsection shall apply to 48
136	136	a pupil identification card issued for the firs t time to a 49
137	137	pupil and to a card issued to replace a damaged or lost card. 50
138	138	5. For the 2027-28 school year and all subsequent 51
139	139	school years, each school district shall update the school 52
140	140	district's policy for youth suicide awareness and prevention 53
141	141	training required under subsection 1 of this section to 54
142	142	address and include training on risk and protective factors, 55
143	143	warning signs, response procedures, and postvention support. 56
144	144	6. For the 2027-28 school year and all subsequent 57
145	145	school years, the mod el policy developed under subsection 3 58
146	146	of this section shall be updated to include a requirement 59
147	147	for training on risk and protective factors, warning signs, 60
148	148	response procedures, and postvention support. 61
149	149	7. For purposes of this section, "postventio n" shall 62
150	150	mean an organized response in the aftermath of a suicide to 63
151	151	facilitate the healing of individuals from the grief and 64
152	152	distress of suicide loss, to mitigate other negative effects 65
153	153	of exposure to suicide, or to prevent suicide among people 66
154	154	who are at high risk after exposure to suicide. 67
155	155	170.307. 1. For school year 2022 -23 and each school 1
156	156	year thereafter, upon graduation from high school, pupils in 2
157	157	public schools and charter schools shall have received 3
158	158	mental health awarene ss training given any time during a 4
159	159	pupil's four years of high school. 5
160	160	2. Beginning in school year 2022 -23, any public school 6
161	161	or charter school serving grades nine through twelve shall 7
162	162	provide enrolled students instruction in mental health 8 SB 695 6
163	163	awareness. Students with disabilities may participate to 9
164	164	the extent appropriate as determined by the provisions of 10
165	165	the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Section 11
166	166	504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Instruction shall be 12
167	167	included in the district's exi sting health or physical 13
168	168	education curriculum. Instruction shall be based on a 14
169	169	program established by the department of elementary and 15
170	170	secondary education. 16
171	171	3. (1) This subsection shall be known and may be 17
172	172	cited as "Brennan's Law". 18
173	173	(2) For the 2026-27 school year and each subsequent 19
174	174	school year, before entering grade nine, each pupil in a 20
175	175	public school shall have received mental health awareness 21
176	176	training given any time while such pupil is in grade five to 22
177	177	grade eight. 23
178	178	(3) For the 2026-27 school year and each subsequent 24
179	179	school year, any public school serving grades five to eight 25
180	180	shall provide enrolled students with age -appropriate 26
181	181	instruction in mental health awareness. Students with 27
182	182	disabilities may participate to the extent a ppropriate as 28
183	183	determined by the provisions of the federal Individuals with 29
184	184	Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. Section 1400, 30
185	185	et seq., as amended, or Section 504 of the federal 31
186	186	Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. Section 794, as 32
187	187	amended. Instruction shall be included in the district's 33
188	188	existing health or physical education curriculum. 34
189	189	Instruction shall be based on a program established by the 35
190	190	department of elementary and secondary education. 36
191	191	4. The department of elementary and secon dary 37
192	192	education shall promulgate rules to develop a model 38
193	193	curriculum to be used by school districts to provide the 39
194	194	instruction required by this section. Any rule or portion 40 SB 695 7
195	195	of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that 41
196	196	is created under the authority delegated in this section 42
197	197	shall become effective only if it complies with and is 43
198	198	subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if 44
199	199	applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 45
200	200	are nonseverable and if any of the powers v ested with the 46
201	201	general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay 47
202	202	the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are 48
203	203	subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of 49
204	204	rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after 50
205	205	August 28, 2022, shall be invalid and void. 51
206	206	Section B. Because schools require clear guidance on 1
207	207	suicide prevention requirements for the upcoming school 2
208	208	year, the repeal and reenactment of section 170.048 of this 3
209	209	act is deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of 4
210	210	the public health, welfare, peace and safety, and is hereby 5
211	211	declared to be an emergency act within the meaning of the 6
212	212	constitution, and the repeal and reenactment of section 7
213	213	170.048 of this act shall be in full force and effect upon 8
214	214	its passage and approval. 9
215	215	