Texas 2021 - 87th Regular

Texas Senate Bill SB980 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	87R5041 BDP-D
2	2	By: Powell S.B. No. 980
3	3
4	4
5	5	A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
6	6	AN ACT
7	7	relating to a suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention
8	8	program for certain public elementary school campuses.
9	9	BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:
10	10	SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 38, Education Code, is
11	11	amended by adding Section 38.3515 to read as follows:
12	12	Sec. 38.3515. SUICIDE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND
13	13	POSTVENTION PROGRAM. (a) In this section, "postvention" includes
14	14	activities that promote healing necessary to reduce the risk of
15	15	suicide by a person affected by the suicide of another.
16	16	(b) To the extent funds are appropriated to the agency for
17	17	that purpose, the agency shall establish a suicide prevention,
18	18	intervention, and postvention program for optional implementation
19	19	at an elementary school campus of a school district described by
20	20	Subsection (c).
21	21	(c) A school district may implement the program established
22	22	under this section at a campus of the district if the district or
23	23	campus has:
24	24	(1) experienced suicide loss among elementary school
25	25	students enrolled in the district; or
26	26	(2) a reasonable concern regarding the risk of suicide
27	27	among elementary school students enrolled in the district.
28	28	(d) The agency may prioritize school districts described by
29	29	Subsection (c)(1).
30	30	(e) For each elementary school campus at which the program
31	31	is implemented, the agency shall:
32	32	(1) conduct:
33	33	(A) an eligibility assessment of whether a
34	34	district that implements the program meets the criteria provided
35	35	under Subsection (c); and
36	36	(B) a needs-based assessment to identify
37	37	individual needs of each campus in the program;
38	38	(2) provide, in coordination with the Health and Human
39	39	Services Commission, comprehensive Suicide Safer Early
40	40	Intervention and Prevention systems for each campus in the program;
41	41	(3) provide recommendations for research-based best
42	42	practices for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention
43	43	policies;
44	44	(4) develop a method for eligible districts to request
45	45	the assistance of public and private community-based mental health
46	46	resources;
47	47	(5) ensure that informational materials distributed
48	48	by an eligible district are age-appropriate and evidence-based; and
49	49	(6) at the request of an eligible district, provide
50	50	support to the campus in the program, including by:
51	51	(A) identifying the individual needs of the
52	52	campus through the assessment conducted under Subdivision (1)(B);
53	53	(B) implementing research-based best practices
54	54	for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention; and
55	55	(C) working with mental health professionals,
56	56	school counselors, teachers, nurses, administrators, and other
57	57	staff, as well as law enforcement officers and social workers who
58	58	regularly interact with students, to prevent suicide among students
59	59	enrolled at the campus.
60	60	(f) Each school district that implements the program under
61	61	this section shall provide written notice to a parent or guardian of
62	62	each student enrolled at a campus in the program. The required
63	63	written notice must include:
64	64	(1) current information on suicide rates;
65	65	(2) evidence-based informational materials
66	66	identifying strategies to recognize the signs and symptoms of
67	67	possible suicidal ideation that are age-appropriate for children
68	68	who are three years of age or older;
69	69	(3) information about suicide prevention strategies
70	70	involving restricting access to the means of suicide; and
71	71	(4) a list of available school and community resources
72	72	to support students or community members who may be at risk for
73	73	suicide.
74	74	(g) In developing the program under this section, the
75	75	agency, in consultation with the Health and Human Services
76	76	Commission, shall make the considerations described by Section
77	77	38.351(f).
78	78	(h) In addition to the policies and procedures developed by
79	79	a school district under Section 38.351(i), a district that
80	80	implements the program shall develop practices and procedures
81	81	concerning suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention that:
82	82	(1) include a procedure for providing notice to a
83	83	parent or guardian of a student regarding a recommendation for
84	84	early mental health intervention regarding the student within a
85	85	reasonable amount of time after the identification of early warning
86	86	signs of risk for suicide, including:
87	87	(A) declining academic performance;
88	88	(B) depression;
89	89	(C) anxiety;
90	90	(D) isolation;
91	91	(E) unexplained changes in sleep or eating
92	92	habits; and
93	93	(F) destructive behavior toward self and others;
94	94	(2) include a procedure for providing notice of a
95	95	student identified as at risk of attempting suicide, including a
96	96	student who is or may be the victim of or who engages in bullying, to
97	97	a parent or guardian of the student within a reasonable amount of
98	98	time after the identification of early warning signs, including the
99	99	signs listed in Subdivision (1);
100	100	(3) designate at least one person to act as a liaison
101	101	officer in the district for the purposes of identifying students in
102	102	need of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention;
103	103	(4) provide information concerning available
104	104	counseling alternatives to parents and guardians of district
105	105	students to consider when a student is identified as possibly in
106	106	need of suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention; and
107	107	(5) include procedures to support the return of a
108	108	student to regular school attendance following hospitalization or
109	109	residential treatment for a mental health condition or substance
110	110	abuse.
111	111	(i) The practices and procedures developed under Subsection
112	112	(h) must be included in:
113	113	(1) the annual student handbook; and
114	114	(2) the district improvement plan under Section
115	115	11.252.
116	116	(j) The agency:
117	117	(1) may accept donations for purposes of this section
118	118	from sources without a conflict of interest; and
119	119	(2) may not accept donations for purposes of this
120	120	section from an anonymous source.
121	121	(k) Nothing in this section is intended to interfere with
122	122	the rights of parents or guardians and the decision-making
123	123	regarding the best interest of the child. Practices and procedures
124	124	developed in accordance with this section are intended to notify a
125	125	parent or guardian of a need for suicide prevention, intervention,
126	126	or postvention so that a parent or guardian may take appropriate
127	127	action.
128	128	(l) Nothing in this section authorizes a school district
129	129	employee to recommend prescription medication for a student or to
130	130	interfere with medical decisions to be made by the student's parent
131	131	or guardian.
132	132	(m) The commissioner shall adopt rules to administer this
133	133	section.
134	134	(n) This section expires September 1, 2025.
135	135	SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022
136	136	school year.
137	137	SECTION 3. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives
138	138	a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as
139	139	provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this
140	140	Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this
141	141	Act takes effect September 1, 2021.