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