86R14067 GCB-F
By: Ramos H.B. No. 3888
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
relating to a school district's plan for parental involvement
concerning mental health and substance use issues and suicide
prevention.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
SECTION 1. Section 28.004(c), Education Code, is amended to
read as follows:
(c) The local school health advisory council's duties
include recommending:
(1) the number of hours of instruction to be provided
in health education;
(2) policies, procedures, strategies, and curriculum
appropriate for specific grade levels designed to prevent obesity,
cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and mental health
concerns, including suicide, through coordination of:
(A) health education;
(B) physical education and physical activity;
(C) nutrition services;
(D) parental involvement;
(E) instruction to prevent the use of
e-cigarettes, as defined by Section 161.081, Health and Safety
Code, and tobacco;
(F) school health services;
(G) counseling and guidance services;
(H) a safe and healthy school environment; and
(I) school employee wellness;
(3) appropriate grade levels and methods of
instruction for human sexuality instruction;
(4) strategies for integrating the curriculum
components specified by Subdivision (2) with the following elements
in a coordinated school health program for the district:
(A) school health services;
(B) counseling and guidance services;
(C) a safe and healthy school environment; and
(D) school employee wellness; [and]
(5) if feasible, joint use agreements or strategies
for collaboration between the school district and community
organizations or agencies; and
(6) strategies to increase parental awareness
regarding:
(A) risky behaviors and early warning signs of
suicide risks and behavioral health concerns, including mental
health disorders and substance use disorders; and
(B) available community programs and services
that address risky behaviors, suicide risks, and behavioral health
concerns.
SECTION 2. Section 161.325(d), Health and Safety Code, is
amended to read as follows:
(d) A school district may develop practices and procedures
concerning each area listed in Subsection (a-1), including mental
health promotion and intervention, substance abuse prevention and
intervention, and suicide prevention, that:
(1) include a procedure for providing educational
material to all parents and families in the district that contains
information on identifying risk factors, accessing resources for
treatment or support provided on and off campus, and accessing
available student accommodations provided on campus;
(2) include a procedure for providing notice of a
recommendation for early mental health or substance abuse
intervention regarding a student to a parent or guardian of the
student within a reasonable amount of time after the identification
of early warning signs as described by Subsection (b)(2);
(3) [(2)] include a procedure for providing notice of
a student identified as at risk of committing suicide to a parent or
guardian of the student within a reasonable amount of time after the
identification of early warning signs as described by Subsection
(b)(2);
(4) [(3)] establish that the district may develop a
reporting mechanism and may designate at least one person to act as
a liaison officer in the district for the purposes of identifying
students in need of early mental health or substance abuse
intervention or suicide prevention; and
(5) [(4)] set out available counseling alternatives
for a parent or guardian to consider when their child is identified
as possibly being in need of early mental health or substance abuse
intervention or suicide prevention.
SECTION 3. Subchapter O-1, Chapter 161, Health and Safety
Code, is amended by adding Section 161.3255 to read as follows:
Sec. 161.3255. PARENT EDUCATION ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
ISSUES. (a) In this section, "parent" includes a guardian or other
person standing in parental relation.
(b) At each campus in a school district in which at least 70
percent of the students in average daily attendance are
educationally disadvantaged, homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C.
Section 11302, or in the conservatorship of the Department of
Family and Protective Services, the district shall develop and
implement a plan to increase parent and student knowledge and
understanding of behavioral health disorders and treatment
options. The plan must include strategies to educate and assist
students and parents on:
(1) identifying mental health disorders, substance
use disorders, suicidal ideation, and issues related to trauma in
children and youth;
(2) accessing resources for treatment or support
provided on and off campus; and
(3) accessing available accommodations provided on
campus for student success.
(c) A school district may use internal or external resources
to implement the strategies included in the plan required under
Subsection (b), including:
(1) developing and integrating behavioral health
education as part of the health curriculum;
(2) collaborating with behavioral health providers
for treatment referrals and treatment services provided on campus;
(3) establishing partnerships with community-based
organizations to provide relevant education and support;
(4) designating a behavioral-health parent-liaison at
each campus of the district; and
(5) exploring other promising practices in the areas
of identifying and treating mental health disorders, substance use
disorders, suicidal ideation, and issues related to trauma in
children and youth.
SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020
school year.
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.