New York Assembly Bill A01613 Latest Draft

   
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 1613 2023-2024 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY January 17, 2023 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. HUNTER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT amend the education law, in relation to requiring student suicide prevention training and policies in public school districts The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 3209-b 2 to read as follows: 3 § 3209-b. Student suicide prevention. 1. The commissioner shall adopt 4 rules to require that all public school personnel receive at least two 5 hours of suicide awareness and prevention training each year beginning 6 in the two thousand twenty-four--two thousand twenty-five school year. 7 Such training shall be provided within the framework of existing in-ser- 8 vice training programs offered by the department or as part of required 9 professional development activities. 10 2. The department shall, in consultation with the office of mental 11 health and the council on children and families, develop a list of 12 approved training materials to fulfill the requirements of this section. 13 Approved materials shall include training on how to identify appropriate 14 mental health services both within the school and also within the larger 15 community, and when and how to refer youth and their families to such 16 services. Approved materials may additionally include programs that can 17 be completed through self-review of suitable suicide prevention materi- 18 als. 19 3. a. Each public school district shall adopt a policy on student 20 suicide prevention. Such policies shall be developed in consultation 21 with school and community stakeholders, school employed mental health 22 professionals, and suicide prevention experts, and shall, at a minimum, 23 address procedures relating to suicide prevention, intervention, and 24 postvention. EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD05722-01-3 
 A. 1613 2 1 b. The department shall develop and maintain a model policy to assist 2 school districts in developing policies for student suicide prevention 3 pursuant to paragraph a of this subdivision. 4 4. a. No person shall have a cause of action for any loss or damage 5 caused by any act or omission resulting from the implementation of the 6 provisions of this section or resulting from any training, or lack ther- 7 eof, required by this section. 8 b. The training, or lack thereof, required by the provisions of this 9 section shall not be construed to impose any specific duty of care. 10 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.