HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 938        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 555

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

_________________

PRESENTED BY:

Edward R. Philips

_________________

To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act relative to suicide prevention in schools.

_______________

PETITION OF:

 

Name:

District/Address:

Date Added:

Edward R. Philips

8th Norfolk

1/11/2023

Sally P. Kerans

13th Essex

1/26/2023

Carol A. Doherty

3rd Bristol

3/22/2023

Lindsay N. Sabadosa

1st Hampshire

4/12/2023

Danillo A. Sena

37th Middlesex

7/21/2023


HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 938        FILED ON: 1/17/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 555

By Representative Philips of Sharon, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 555) of Edward R. Philips and Sally P. Kerans that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education be authorized to offer two hours of evidence based in-service suicide awareness and prevention training once every other year to certain employees.  Education.

 

[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
SEE HOUSE, NO. 4225 OF 2021-2022.]

 

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

 

_______________

In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

_______________

 

An Act relative to suicide prevention 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 98. (a) The department of elementary and secondary education shall adopt rules to require in school health care providers and any holder of, or applicant for, an educator’s license in the commonwealth to receive at least 2 hours of evidence based in-service suicide awareness and prevention training once every other year. 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.

(1) Staff members subject to the training under paragraph (a) initially hired during a school year in which the training is not required, shall be provided with suicide prevention and identification materials for review by the local district within thirty days of being hired.

(b) The department shall, in consultation with the department of public health, the department of mental health, and suicide prevention experts, develop a list of approved training materials to fulfill the requirements of this section. The approved training materials must:

(1) be evidence based; and

(2) demonstrated to be an effective or promising program.

(c) On or before December 31, 2022, a school of a school district or county office of education and a charter school shall be required to have at least one mental health professional, as defined, for every 400 pupils generally accessible to pupils on campus during school hours.