Relates to the adoption of instruction in mental health in junior and senior high schools and to provide school districts with current information on drug abuse issues

(i) teachers, school administrators, teacher educators, school psychologists, school social workers and others with educational expertise in the proposed curriculum.

(ii) parents, students and other interested parties

(iii) consideration is given to the time this curriculum will require

(iv) consideration of fiscal impacts are determined

(V) consideration is given to the relevance, based on current, comparable course work.

(vi) consideration is given by any additional factors that the commissioner deems relevant.

The commissioner shall have 180 days after this effective date to provide recommendations to the board of regents.

The board shall have 60 days from receiving such recommendation to accept or reject the commissioners recommendation. The commissioner shall provide, on a biennial basis, school districts with educational information of current drug abuse issues in order to ensure a relevant curriculum.

Section 2 sets forth the effective date.

Justification

Current law requires the New York State Board of Regents to create a curriculum that promotes mutual respect and understanding of people with disabilities to elementary students. With the number of individuals being diagnosed with a mental health illness on the rise, even among children, it is necessary to consider including instruction on mental health as part of the health curriculum in all of New York state's junior and senior high schools.

In New York, over 300,000 youth live with a serious mental health condition that significantly impairs their daily function. It is important that students be taught. about mental health illness and stop the stigma that goes along with a diagnosis. By not talking about conditions like depression, eating disorders and PTSD, we do our young people a disservice. This bill would allow the commissioner the opportunity to make recommendations to the board of regents as to the type of curriculum required, how much time of instruction might be necessary, consider the fiscal impact to school districts and get feedback from a variety of stakeholders. By ensuring that our young people are educated about mental health, the connections these illnesses can have to alcohol, drug and tobacco abuse, we can increase the likelihood that they will be able to more effectively recognize signs in themselves and others.

A component of this bill is to ensure that school districts are provided with up to date information in regards to current drug abuse issues. How and when students are taught drug about the dangers of drug addiction is extremely important. Other than at home, school is seen as the primary place adolescents addiction and its impacts. Drug usage and types of drugs come in waves. In the 80's and 90's crack and cocaine were the commonly used drugs. In the early 2000's we saw a rise in bath salts usage. Now we are in the era of a heroin epidemic.

In Monroe, Livingston, Chemung, Ontario, Orleans, Steuben and Wyoming Counties, heroin killed 65 people in 2013. This was a huge spike compared to 29 in 2012 and only 11 in all of 2011. This issue is not only a regional issue, but a state wide issue. With the significant increase in heroin overdoses over the past few years, it is clear that we need to educate our students on the issue.

It is important that our educational institutions are consistently staying up to date on current drug abuse issues, in order to best serve our students and help prevent drug addiction. The language of this legislation provides flexibility as to what drug abuse issues are to be taught in the classroom. Yesterday was crack, today is heroin, tomorrow it could be something else. Allowing the commissioner to provide information on current drug abuse issues will allow the curriculum to evolve and remain relevant.

The law should provide flexibility to allow the commissioner to respond to the changing needs of the educational community to provide students with the tools and resources to live healthy lives, as it will only serve to improve educational performance and student outcomes.

Prior legislative history

New Bill

Fiscal implications

To be determined

Effective date

This act shall take effect immediately.