EXPLANATION-Matter enclosed in bold-faced brackets [thus] in this bill is not enacted
and is intended to be omitted in the law.
FIRST REGULAR SESSION
SENATE BILL NO. 695
103RD GENERAL ASSEMBLY
INTRODUCED BY SENATOR NURRENBERN.
2352S.02I KRISTINA MARTIN, Secretary
AN ACT
To repeal sections 170.047, 170.048, and 170.307, RSMo, and to enact in lieu thereof three new
sections relating to mental health efforts in public schools, with an emergency clause
for a certain section.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Missouri, as follows:
Section A. Sections 170.047, 170.048, and 170.307, RSMo, 1
are repealed and three new sections enacted in lieu thereof, to 2
be known as sections 170.047, 170.048, and 170.307, to read as 3
follows:4
170.047. 1. This section shall be known and may be 1
cited as the "Jason Flatt/Avery Reine Cantor Act". 2
2. (1) Beginning in the 2017 -18 school year and 3
continuing until the end of the 2022 -23 school year, any 4
licensed educator may annually complete up to two hours of 5
training or professional development in youth suicide 6
awareness and prevention as part of the professional 7
development hours required for state board of education 8
certification. 9
(2) Beginning in the 2023 -24 school year and 10
continuing in subsequent school years, the practicing 11
teacher assistance programs established under section 12
168.400 may offer and include at least two hours of in - 13
service training provided by each local school district for 14
all practicing teachers in such district regarding suicide 15
prevention. Each school year, all teachers, principals, and 16 SB 695 2
licensed educators in each district may attend such training 17
or complete training on suicide prevention through self - 18
review of suicide prevention materials. Attendance at the 19
training shall count as two contact hours of professional 20
development under section 168.021 and shall count as two 21
hours of any other such training required under this section. 22
(3) Beginning in the 2026 -27 school year and 23
continuing in subsequent school years, each local school 24
district shall provide at least two hours of in -service 25
training regarding suicide prevent ion for all licensed 26
educators. 27
3. The department of elementary and secondary 28
education shall develop guidelines suitable for training or 29
professional development in youth suicide awareness and 30
prevention. The department may develop materials th at may 31
be used for the training described under subsection 2 of 32
this section or may offer districts materials developed by a 33
third party that districts may use for the training. 34
4. For the 2027-28 school year and all subsequent 35
school years, suicide prevention training described in 36
subdivisions (2) and (3) of subsection 2 of this section and 37
guidelines and materials developed or used under subsection 38
3 of this section shall require training on risk and 39
protective factors, warning signs, respon se procedures, and 40
postvention support. 41
5. For purposes of this section, the [term] following 42
terms mean: 43
(1) "Licensed educator" shall refer to any teacher 44
with a certificate of license to teach issued by the state 45
board of education or a ny other educator or administrator 46
required to maintain a professional license issued by the 47
state board of education ; 48 SB 695 3
(2) "Postvention" shall refer to an organized response 49
in the aftermath of a suicide to facilitate the healing of 50
individuals from the grief and distress of suicide loss, to 51
mitigate other negative effects of exposure to suicide, or 52
to prevent suicide among people who are at high risk after 53
exposure to suicide. 54
[5.] 6. The department of elementary and secondary 55
education may promulgate rules and regulations to implement 56
this section. 57
[6.] 7. Any rule or portion of a rule, as that term is 58
defined in section 536.010, that is created under the 59
authority delegated in this section shall become effective 60
only if it complies with and is subject to all of the 61
provisions of chapter 536 and, if applicable, section 62
536.028. This section and chapter 536 are nonseverable and 63
if any of the powers vested with the general assembly 64
pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay the effective 65
date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are subsequently 66
held unconstitutional, then the grant of rulemaking 67
authority and any rule proposed or adopted after August 28, 68
2016, shall be invalid and void. 69
170.048. 1. By July 1, 2018, each district shall 1
adopt a policy for youth suicide awareness and prevention, 2
including plans for how the district will provide for the 3
training and education of its district employees. 4
2. Each district's policy shall address and i nclude, 5
but not be limited to, the following: 6
(1) Strategies that can help identify students who are 7
at possible risk of suicide; 8
(2) Strategies and protocols for helping students at 9
possible risk of suicide; and 10
(3) Protocols for responding to a suicide death. 11 SB 695 4
3. By July 1, 2017, the department of elementary and 12
secondary education shall develop a model policy that 13
districts may adopt. When developing the model policy, the 14
department shall cooperate, consult with, and seek in put 15
from organizations that have expertise in youth suicide 16
awareness and prevention. By July 1, 2021, and at least 17
every three years thereafter, the department shall request 18
information and seek feedback from districts on their 19
experience with the p olicy for youth suicide awareness and 20
prevention. The department shall review this information 21
and may use it to adapt the department's model policy. The 22
department shall post any information on its website that it 23
has received from districts that it deems relevant. The 24
department shall not post any confidential information or 25
any information that personally identifies any student or 26
school employee. 27
4. (1) Beginning July 1, [2025] 2026, a public school 28
or charter school that serves any pu pils in grades seven to 29
twelve and that issues pupil identification cards shall have 30
printed on either side of the cards [: 31
(a)] the three-digit dialing code that directs calls 32
and routes text messages to the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, 33
988[; and 34
(b) The nonemergency telephone number of the local 35
police department; and 36
(c) May have printed on either side of the cards: 37
a. The six-digit dialing code that routes text 38
messages to the Crisis Text Line, 741741; and 39
b. The telephone number of a local suicide prevention 40
hotline, if such hotline is available ]. 41
(2) If, on July 1, [2025] 2026, a public school or 42
charter school subject to the requirements of this 43 SB 695 5
subsection has a supply of unissued pupil identification 44
cards that do not comply with the requirements of 45
subdivision (1) of this subsection, the school shall issue 46
those cards until that supply is depleted. 47
(3) Subdivision (1) of this subsection shall apply to 48
a pupil identification card issued for the firs t time to a 49
pupil and to a card issued to replace a damaged or lost card. 50
5. For the 2027-28 school year and all subsequent 51
school years, each school district shall update the school 52
district's policy for youth suicide awareness and prevention 53
training required under subsection 1 of this section to 54
address and include training on risk and protective factors, 55
warning signs, response procedures, and postvention support. 56
6. For the 2027-28 school year and all subsequent 57
school years, the mod el policy developed under subsection 3 58
of this section shall be updated to include a requirement 59
for training on risk and protective factors, warning signs, 60
response procedures, and postvention support. 61
7. For purposes of this section, "postventio n" shall 62
mean an organized response in the aftermath of a suicide to 63
facilitate the healing of individuals from the grief and 64
distress of suicide loss, to mitigate other negative effects 65
of exposure to suicide, or to prevent suicide among people 66
who are at high risk after exposure to suicide. 67
170.307. 1. For school year 2022 -23 and each school 1
year thereafter, upon graduation from high school, pupils in 2
public schools and charter schools shall have received 3
mental health awarene ss training given any time during a 4
pupil's four years of high school. 5
2. Beginning in school year 2022 -23, any public school 6
or charter school serving grades nine through twelve shall 7
provide enrolled students instruction in mental health 8 SB 695 6
awareness. Students with disabilities may participate to 9
the extent appropriate as determined by the provisions of 10
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act or Section 11
504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Instruction shall be 12
included in the district's exi sting health or physical 13
education curriculum. Instruction shall be based on a 14
program established by the department of elementary and 15
secondary education. 16
3. (1) This subsection shall be known and may be 17
cited as "Brennan's Law". 18
(2) For the 2026-27 school year and each subsequent 19
school year, before entering grade nine, each pupil in a 20
public school shall have received mental health awareness 21
training given any time while such pupil is in grade five to 22
grade eight. 23
(3) For the 2026-27 school year and each subsequent 24
school year, any public school serving grades five to eight 25
shall provide enrolled students with age -appropriate 26
instruction in mental health awareness. Students with 27
disabilities may participate to the extent a ppropriate as 28
determined by the provisions of the federal Individuals with 29
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 20 U.S.C. Section 1400, 30
et seq., as amended, or Section 504 of the federal 31
Rehabilitation Act of 1973, 29 U.S.C. Section 794, as 32
amended. Instruction shall be included in the district's 33
existing health or physical education curriculum. 34
Instruction shall be based on a program established by the 35
department of elementary and secondary education. 36
4. The department of elementary and secon dary 37
education shall promulgate rules to develop a model 38
curriculum to be used by school districts to provide the 39
instruction required by this section. Any rule or portion 40 SB 695 7
of a rule, as that term is defined in section 536.010, that 41
is created under the authority delegated in this section 42
shall become effective only if it complies with and is 43
subject to all of the provisions of chapter 536 and, if 44
applicable, section 536.028. This section and chapter 536 45
are nonseverable and if any of the powers v ested with the 46
general assembly pursuant to chapter 536 to review, to delay 47
the effective date, or to disapprove and annul a rule are 48
subsequently held unconstitutional, then the grant of 49
rulemaking authority and any rule proposed or adopted after 50
August 28, 2022, shall be invalid and void. 51
Section B. Because schools require clear guidance on 1
suicide prevention requirements for the upcoming school 2
year, the repeal and reenactment of section 170.048 of this 3
act is deemed necessary for the immediate preservation of 4
the public health, welfare, peace and safety, and is hereby 5
declared to be an emergency act within the meaning of the 6
constitution, and the repeal and reenactment of section 7
170.048 of this act shall be in full force and effect upon 8
its passage and approval. 9