HB 285 — Suicide Prevention/Awareness School Personnel.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA SESSION 2017 H 21 HOUSE BILL 285 Committee Substitute Favorable 3/22/17 Short Title:

Representatives Murphy, Hardister, Dollar, and Dobson (Primary Sponsors).

For a complete list of sponsors, refer to the North Carolina General Assembly web site.

Health, if favorable, Education - K-12 March 9, 2017 A BILL TO BE ENTITLED AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR A TRAINING PROGRAM ON YOUTH SUICIDE AWARENESS AND PREVENTION AND A RISK REFERRAL PROTOCOL FOR SCHOOL PERSONNEL.

– The State Board of Education, in consultation with the Department of Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health, shall develop a youth suicide awareness and prevention training program and a model risk referral protocol for local school administrative units and charter schools to provide to school personnel who work directly with students in grades sixK through 12.12, including teachers, teacher assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, janitorial staff, media coordinators, athletic coaches, administrators, administrative assistants, school safety resource officers, school nurses, social workers, psychologists, and counselors.

The training program shall consist of at least two hours of evidence-basedevidence-informed instruction to increase awareness of suicide, identification of risk factors and signs, and information for student referral for suicide prevention resources and support.

– Each local school administrative unit shall provide the training program and model risk referral protocol developed by the State Board of Education pursuantunder to subsection (a) of this section, or a locally developed plan that meets the requirements of subsection (c) of this section, to school personnel who work directly with students in grades sixK through 12 at no cost to the school employee.

SchoolA personnelschool employee who workworks directly with students in grades sixK through 12 shall receive youth suicide awareness and prevention training within 12 months of employment with a local board of education and everyannually five years thereafter while employed with that local board of education.

The training may be offered in various formats, including electronically, eitherthrough viavideoconferencing, videoconference or through an individual program of study thatof consistsdesignated materials consisting of at least two hours of instruction.

(c) Locally Developed Plan;Training and Risk Referral Protocols.

Training– A local board of education may comply with the training and Riskprotocol Referralrequirements Protocols.of this section by developing a local plan that includes, at a minimum, (i) conveying information on State and national data on suicide deaths and attempts, suicide methods, and at-risk populations, (ii) myths and attitudes about *H285-v-1* General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2017 suicide, (iii) warning signs and symptoms for suicide, (iv) identification of at-risk students and steps for referring students to support services, (v) protective factors for prevention of suicide, and (vi) safe messaging to children.

–In Aaddition, a local boardplan ofshall educationinclude mayprotocols complyfor withimplementation the training and riskmandatory referraltraining protocolthat requirementsinclude ofat thisleast sectionthe byfollowing: developing a local plan in accordance with subdivisions (1) and (2) of this subsection.

(1) A locallyplan developedto youthinclude suicidespecialized awarenesstraining andfor preventionstudent trainingsupport programpersonnel, shallincluding include,administrators, atschool anurses, minimum:counselors, social workers, and psychologists.

*H285-v-2*(2) GeneralA Assemblysafety Ofplan Northfor Carolinathe Sessionschool 2017in a.the event of (i) identification of a student as being at-risk of suicide, including a student help plan and immediate assistance, and (ii) a suicide death or suicide attempt by a student enrolled in the school, including a care plan for peers and school personnel.

Information(3) onDesignation Stateof anda nationalschool dataemployee onas suicidethe deathsschool and attempts, suicide methods,prevention andresponder. at-risk population.

b.(4) A plan for communication with a parent or legal guardian of a student identified as at-risk, including safe transfer of the student to the parent or legal guardian.

Myths(5) andA attitudesplan aboutfor suicide.post-intervention for a student who has been identified as at-risk or has attempted suicide, including reentry into the classroom.

c.

Warning signs and symptoms for suicide.

d.

How to identify at-risk students and steps for referring at-risk students to support services.

e.

Methods and factors to prevent suicide.

f.

Safe messaging protocols for students.

(2) A locally developed risk referral protocol on identification of at-risk students, suicide prevention procedures, and referral sources shall include, at a minimum:

a.

A plan to provide specialized training for student support personnel, including administrators, school nurses, counselors, social workers, and psychologists.

b.

A safety plan for the school in the event of (i) the identification of a student as being at-risk of suicide, including a student help plan and immediate assistance, and (ii) a suicide death or suicide attempt by a student enrolled in the school, including a care plan for peers and school personnel.

c.

The designation of a school employee as the school suicide prevention responder.

d.

A protocol for communication with a parent or legal guardian of a student who is identified as at-risk, including safe transfer of the student to the parent or legal guardian.

e.

A plan for post-intervention for a student who has been identified as at-risk or has attempted suicide, including reentry into the classroom.

– AsBy September 15 of each year, as part of the Healthy Active Children Policy survey report required by State Board of Education policy, SHLT-000, each local school administrative unit shall report to the Department of Public Instruction on itsprior compliance during the previous school year compliance with the mandatory training requirements and riskprevention referralactivities protocols required by this sectionsection. on or before September 15 of each year.

The(e) DepartmentNo local board of Publiceducation, Instructionnor its members, employees, designees, agents, or volunteers, shall compilebe theliable reportsin receivedcivil pursuantdamages to thisany sectionparty andfor submitany anact overviewor omission of Statean complianceact duringrelating to the previousprovision schoolof, yearparticipation within, theor mandatoryimplementation trainingof andthe riskcomponents referralof protocolsthe totraining theprogram Jointor Legislativeprotocol Oversightrequired Committeeby onthis Healthsection andunless Humanthat Servicesact andor theomission Jointamounts Legislativeto Educationgross Oversightnegligence, Committeewanton onconduct, or beforeintentional Decemberwrongdoing." 1SECTION of2. each year.

(e) No local board of education, nor its members, employees, designees, agents, or volunteers, shall be liable in civil damages to any party for any act or omission of an act relating to the provision of, participation in, or implementation of the components of the training program or protocol required by this section unless that act or omission amounts to gross negligence, wanton conduct, or intentional wrongdoing.

(f) For purposes of this section, the term "school personnel" includes teachers, teacher assistants, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, janitorial staff, media coordinators, athletic coaches, administrators, administrative assistants, school safety resource officers, school nurses, social workers, psychologists, counselors, and any other school employee who has direct contact with students in grades kindergarten through 12." SECTION 2.