FILED ON: 3/13/2014

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 4013

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the Year Two Thousand Fourteen

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An Act relative to suicide prevention training in schools.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 95. (a) The department of elementary and secondary education shall adopt rules to require that any holder of, or applicant for, an educator’s license in the commonwealth receive at least 2 hours of suicide awareness and prevention training once every 5 years. This training shall be provided within the framework of existing in-service training programs offered by the department or as part of required professional development activities.

(b) The department shall, in consultation with the department of public health, Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention, and suicide prevention experts, develop a list of approved training materials to fulfill the requirements of this section.

(1) Approved materials shall include training on how to identify appropriate mental health services both within the school and also within the larger community, and when and how to refer youth and their families to those services.

(2) Approved materials may include programs that can be completed through self-review of suitable suicide prevention materials.

(c) No person shall have a cause of action for any loss or damage caused by any act or omission resulting from the implementation of the provisions of this section or resulting from any training, or lack thereof, required by this section.

(d) The training, or lack thereof, required by the provisions of this section shall not be construed to impose any specific duty of care.