North Carolina 2025-2026 Regular Session

North Carolina Senate Bill S642 Compare Versions

Version 1 (Old)

Version 2 (New)

Old	New		Differences
1	1		GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
2	2		SESSION 2025
3		-	S 1
4		-	SENATE BILL 642
	3	+	S D
	4	+	SENATE BILL DRS15292-NH-43
	5	+
5	6
6	7
7	8		Short Title: SAVE Students Act. (Public)
8	9		Sponsors: Senators Lowe and Hanig (Primary Sponsors).
9		-	Referred to: ~~Rules and Operations of the Senate~~
10		-	~~March 26, 2025~~
11		-	~~S642 -v-1~~
	10	+	Referred to:
	11	+
	12	+	DRS15292 -NH-43
12	13		A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
13	14		AN ACT TO REQUIRE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS TO RECEIVE EVIDENCE -BASED 2
14	15		TRAINING ON IDENTIFICATION OF WARNING SIGNS OF SUICIDE, VIOLENCE, 3
15	16		AND SOCIAL ISOLATION. 4
16	17		The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 5
17	18		SECTION 1. Article 25B of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 6
18	19		adding a new section to read: 7
19	20		"§ 115C-376.7. Evidence-based mental health training. 8
20	21		(a) This section may be referred to as the Suicide, Safety, and Violence Education 9
21	22		(SAVE) Students Act. 10
22	23		(b) As used in this section, "evidence-based" means a program or practice that does either 11
23	24		of the following: 12
24	25		(1) Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive 13
25	26		evaluation that such a program or practice is likely to improve relevant 14
26	27		outcomes and includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of the program 15
27	28		or practice. 16
28	29		(2) Has a statistically significant effect on relevant outcomes based on at least one 17
29	30		of the following: 18
30	31		a. Strong evidence from at least one well -designed and 19
31	32		well-implemented experimental study. 20
32	33		b. Moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and 21
33	34		well-implemented quasi-experimental study. 22
34	35		c. Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and 23
35	36		well-implemented correlation study with statistical controls for 24
36	37		selection bias. 25
37	38		(c) The Department of Public Instruction, in consultation with the Department of Health 26
38	39		and Human Services, shall maintain a list of approved evidence-based training programs, 27
39	40		including at least one option that is free or of no cost to a school, to be posted on the Department 28
40	41		of Public Instruction's web site, for the following topics: 29
41	42		(1) Suicide awareness and prevention and violence prevention. To qualify as a 30
42	43		training program for this topic, the training course shall include all of the 31
43	44		following: 32
44	45		a. How to instruct school personnel to identify the signs and symptoms 33
45	46		of depression, suicide, and self-harm in students. 34
46	47		b. How to instruct student to identify the signs and symptoms of 35
47		-	depression, suicide, and self-harm in their peers. 36 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
48		-	Page 2 Senate Bill 642-First Edition
	48	+	depression, suicide, and self-harm in their peers. 36
	49	+	FILED SENATE
	50	+	Mar 25, 2025
	51	+	S.B. 642
	52	+	PRINCIPAL CLERK General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
	53	+	Page 2 DRS15292-NH-43
49	54		c. How to identify appropriate mental health services within schools and 1
50	55		within larger communities, and when and how to refer youth and their 2
51	56		families to those services. 3
52	57		d. How to teach students about mental health and depression, warning 4
53	58		signs of suicide, and the importance of and processes for seeking help 5
54	59		on behalf of self and peers and reporting of these behaviors. 6
55	60		e. How to identify observable warning signs and signals of individuals 7
56	61		who may be a threat to themselves or others. 8
57	62		f. The importance of taking threats seriously and seeking help. 9
58	63		g. How students can report dangerous, violent, threatening, harmful, or 10
59	64		potentially harmful activity, including the use of the anonymous tip 11
60	65		line. 12
61	66		(2) Social inclusion. To qualify as a training program for this topic, the training 13
62	67		course shall include the following: 14
63	68		a. What social isolation is and how to identify it in others. 15
64	69		b. What social inclusion is and the importance of establishing 16
65	70		connections with peers. 17
66	71		c. When and how to seek help for peers who may be socially isolated. 18
67	72		d. How to utilize strategies for more social inclusion in classrooms and 19
68	73		the school community. 20
69	74		(d) All public school students in grades 6 through 12 shall receive two hours or two 21
70	75		standard class periods, whichever is shorter, of training per school year from a program approved 22
71	76		pursuant to subsection (c) of this section. One hour shall be training and instruction on suicide 23
72	77		awareness and prevention and violence prevention and the other hour shall be training and 24
73	78		instruction on social inclusion. Each hour of training is not required to be conducted 25
74	79		consecutively. 26
75	80		(e) Schools may use student assemblies, classroom instruction, digital learning, 27
76	81		homework, or any combination thereof to provide students the training required by this section. 28
77	82		(f) Upon written request of a student's parent or legal guardian, a student shall be excused 29
78	83		from any training required under this section. 30
79	84		(g) All public school employees who have significant interaction with students as part of 31
80	85		their routine duties shall receive one hour of training per school year from a program approved 32
81	86		pursuant to subsection (c) of this section on suicide awareness and prevention and violence 33
82	87		prevent. 34
83	88		(h) Training provided to students pursuant to this section may be credited toward any 35
84	89		health education requirements under G.S. 115C-81.25 and any training provided to teachers 36
85	90		pursuant to this section may be credited toward the training hour requirement under 37
86	91		G.S. 115C-376.5. 38
87	92		(i) The governing body of a public school unit shall allow the creation of a student-led 39
88	93		club focused on suicide prevention, student safety, and violence and social isolation prevention 40
89	94		for each school within the public school unit that has student in grades 6 through 12. Each club 41
90	95		shall: 42
91	96		(1) Be open to all students in grade 6 through 12. 43
92	97		(2) Have at least one school employee serve as an advisor. 44
93	98		(3) Develop and maintain awareness of activities related to suicide prevention or 45
94	99		student safety and violence and social isolation prevention training. 46
95	100		(4) Foster opportunities for student leadership development." 47
96	101		SECTION 2.(a) G.S. 115C-47 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 48
97	102		"(70) School-based mental health plan required. – A local board of education shall 49
98	103		adopt a school-based mental health plan, including a mental health training 50 General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2025
99		-	~~Senate Bill 642-First Edition~~ Page 3
	104	+	DRS15292-NH-43 Page 3
100	105		program and suicide risk referral protocol, in accordance with 1
101	106		G.S. 115C-376.5 and G.S. 115C-376.7." 2
102	107		SECTION 2.(b) G.S. 115C-150.12C(16) reads as rewritten: 3
103	108		"(16) School-based mental health plan required. – A regional school shall adopt a 4
104	109		school-based mental health plan, including a mental health training program 5
105	110		and suicide risk referral protocol, in accordance with 6
106	111		G.S. 115C-376.5.115C-376.5 and G.S. 115C-376.7." 7
107	112		SECTION 2.(c) G.S. 115C-218.75 is amended by adding a new subsection to read: 8
108	113		"(h) A charter school shall adopt a school-based mental health plan, including a mental 9
109	114		health training program and suicide risk referral protocol, in accordance with 10
110	115		G.S. 115C-376.5.115C-376.5 and G.S. 115C-376.7." 11
111	116		SECTION 2.(d) G.S. 115C-238.66 is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 12
112	117		"(16) School-based mental health plan required. – A regional school shall adopt a 13
113	118		school-based mental health plan, including a mental health training program 14
114	119		and suicide risk referral protocol, in accordance with 15
115	120		G.S. 115C-376.5.115C-376.5 and G.S. 115C-376.7." 16
116	121		SECTION 2.(e) G.S. 116-239.8(b) is amended by adding a new subdivision to read: 17
117	122		"(18) School-based mental health plan required. – A laboratory school shall adopt a 18
118	123		school-based mental health plan, including a mental health training program 19
119	124		and suicide risk referral protocol, in accordance with 20
120	125		G.S. 115C-376.5.115C-376.5 and G.S. 115C-376.7." 21
121	126		SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law and applies beginning with 22
122	127		the 2025-2026 school year. 23