HB 1706 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in school health services, providing for student mental health awareness.

PRIOR PRINTER'S NO.

2091 THEPRINTER'S GENERALNO. ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA HOUSE BILL Session of No.

17062877 2025THE INTRODUCEDGENERAL BYASSEMBLY DALEY,OF SANCHEZ,PENNSYLVANIA GIRAL,HOUSE SCHLOSSBERG,BILL MALAGARI,Session HOHENSTEIN, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, HILL-EVANS, HOWARD, KHAN, OTTEN, KENYATTA, DEASY, CERRATO AND GREEN, JULY 7, 2025 REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JULY 7, 2025 AN ACT Amending the act of MarchNo. 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An act relating to the public school system, including certain provisions applicable as well to private and parochial schools;

amending,1706 revising,2025 consolidatingINTRODUCED andBY changingDALEY, theSANCHEZ, forGIRAL, studentSCHLOSSBERG, mentalMALAGARI, healthHOHENSTEIN, awareness.althCEPEDA-FREYTIZ, services,HILL-EVANS, providingHOWARD, TheKHAN, GeneralOTTEN, AssemblyKENYATTA, ofDEASY, CERRATO, GREEN AND STEELE, JULY 7, 2025 AS REPORTED FROM COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, AS AMENDED, FEBRUARY 4, 2026 AN ACT Amending the Commonwealthact of PennsylvaniaMarch hereby10, enacts1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An act relating to the public school system, including certain provisions applicable as follows:well to private and parochial laws relating thereto," in school health services, providing for student mental health awareness.

The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:

Student Mental Health Awareness.--(a) The <-- State Board of Education shall review the existing State standards for health, safety and physical education at 22 Pa.

(b) The Department of Health and the Department of Education shall develop and post on their publicly accessible Internet websites guidelinesSECTION and1426. other relevant materials to inform and educate students participating in or desiring to participate in an athletic activity, their parents or guardians and their coaches about the nature and warning signs of mental health distress, mental health illness and related issues.

InSTUDENT developingMENTAL theHEALTH AWARENESS.--(A) <-- THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION, IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SERVICES, SHALL DEVELOP AND POST ON ITS PUBLICLY ACCESSIBLE INTERNET WEBSITE, guidelines and materials,other therelevant Departmentmaterials ofto Healthinform and theeducate Departmentstudents ofparticipating Educationin mayor utilizedesiring existingto materialsparticipate developedin byan athletic <-- activity, their parents or guardians and their coaches about the nature and warning signs of mental health organizations.distress, mental health illness and related issues.

(c)In Adeveloping schoolthe entityguidelines shall notify its students, their parents or guardians, athletic staff and extracurricularmaterials, advisorsthe twiceDepartment each school year of mentalHealth healthand services available within the schoolDepartment entityof or<-- theEducation communityEDUCATION, inTHE whichDEPARTMENT theOF schoolHEALTH entityAND isTHE locatedDEPARTMENT and<-- howOF studentsHUMAN andSERVICES theirmay parentsutilize orexisting guardiansmaterials maydeveloped accessby themental services.health organizations.

(d)(c) If(B) aA studentschool isentity injuredshall ornotify suddenlyits stopsstudents, attendingtheir a<-- school-sponsoredparents or guardians, athletic orstaff COACHES and extracurricular activity,<-- advisors twice each school year of mental health services available within the school entity ofor the studentcommunity shallin notifywhich the <-- school entity'sentity assistanceis program,located subjectAND toCOMMUNITY-BASED theREFERRAL requirementsPARTNERS of<-- theTHAT FamilyCAN EducationalASSIST RightsIN IDENTIFYING COMMUNITY-BASED MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES and Privacyhow Actstudents ofand 1974their (Publicparents Lawor 90-247,guardians 20may U.S.C.access the services.

(d) If a student is injured (C) IF A STUDENT IS HABITUALLY <-- TRUANT AS DEFINED IN SECTION 1326, DEMONSTRATES AN OBSERVABLE CHANGE IN BEHAVIOR or suddenly stops attending a school- sponsored athletic or extracurricular activity WITHOUT <-- EXPLANATION, the school entity of the student shall notify the <-- school entity's REFER THE STUDENT TO THE SCHOOL ENTITY'S STUDENT <-- assistance program, subject to the requirements of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (Public Law 90-247, 20 U.S.C.

Upon notification, the school entity's <-- 20250HB1706PN2877 - 2 - student assistance program shall, at a minimum, provide the student's parents or guardians with information on mental health services identified under subsection (c).

(e)REFERRAL NotBY laterTHE thanSTUDENT'S ninety<-- (90)SCHOOL daysENTITY afterUNDER theTHIS effectiveSUBSECTION dateSHALL ofBE thisMADE section,TO theTHE PennsylvaniaSTUDENT InterscholasticASSISTANCE AthleticPROGRAM AssociationWITHIN shallFOURTEEN review(14) theCALENDAR existingDAYS coachingFROM educationTHE requirementsDATE forTHE coachesSCHOOL engagedENTITY atIS aAWARE memberOF schoolTHE andHABITUAL reviseTRUANCY, 20250HB1706PN2091OBSERVABLE -CHANGE 2IN -BEHAVIOR theOR requiredSUDDEN educationalNONATTENDANCE coursesAT forA trainingSCHOOL-SPONSORED ofATHLETIC coachesOR toEXTRACURRICULAR includeACTIVITY studentWITHOUT mentalEXPLANATION. health awareness beginning in the 2025- 2026 school year.

(e) (D) Not later than ninety (90) days after the effective <-- date of this section, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association shall review the existing coaching education requirements for coaches engaged at a member school and revise the required educational courses for training of coaches to include student mental health awareness beginning in the 2025- <-- 2026 2027-2028 school year.

<-- (1) Shall, at a minimum, incorporate the training standards <-- adopted by the School Safety and Security Committee under section 1310-B(b).

STANDARDS REQUIRED UNDER SECTION 1310-B(A) <-- (1).

(f) (E) As used in this section, the following words and <-- phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

20250HB1706PN2877 - 3 - "School entity" means a school district, charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school, intermediate unit or area career and technical school.

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