What's happening
This bill requires the education commissioner to recommend mental health instruction in junior and senior high schools and provide updated drug abuse education to school districts.
Why it matters
Ensures involvement of key stakeholders. The bill mandates that teachers, school staff, parents, students, and experts are consulted before any mental health curriculum is recommended, aiming for a well-rounded and practical approach that reflects real needs and concerns.
Requires careful consideration of impacts. The commissioner must evaluate how adding mental health instruction could affect other classes, the financial implications for schools and the state, and how it fits with existing health education, ensuring that changes are feasible and not overly burdensome.
Adds accountability and transparency. If the Board of Regents rejects the proposed curriculum, they must provide a public report outlining their reasons, giving lawmakers, educators, and the public insight into the decision-making process.
Keeps drug abuse education up to date. By requiring biennial updates to drug abuse information for schools, the bill helps ensure that students receive current, relevant information that reflects changing trends and challenges in substance use.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Teach Mental Health in Schools
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
Senator · Senate District 55
History
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.113
- Referred to education
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to education
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 63–0
- Ordered to third reading cal.1459
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
Show 1 earlier action
- Referred to education
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3996
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
February 1, 2017
Introduced by Sen. FUNKE -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the commissioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents relating 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
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 305 of the education law is amended by adding two new subdivisions 56 and 57 to read as follows:
56. a. The commissioner shall make recommendations to the board of regents relating to the adoption of instruction in mental health in junior and senior high schools.
b. Prior to making the recommendations to the board of regents, the commissioner shall:
(i) seek the recommendations of teachers, school administrators, teacher educators, school psychologists, school social workers and others with educational expertise in the proposed curriculum;
(ii) seek comment from parents, students and other interested parties;
(iii) consider the amount of instructional time such curriculum will require and whether such time would detract from other mandated courses of study;
(iv) consider the fiscal impact, if any, on the state and school districts;
(v) consider the relevance of existing regulations pertaining to mental health as part of the school health curriculum as it relates to the current understanding of mental health as an integral part of health and the relationship of mental health to the instruction of alcohol, drugs and tobacco; and
(vi) consider any additional factors the commissioner deems relevant.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09607-01-7
S. 3996 2
c. No later than one hundred eighty days after the effective date of this subdivision, the commissioner shall provide a recommendation to the board of regents to either adopt and promulgate appropriate rules and regulations implementing such curriculum or reject the implementation of such curriculum. Upon receiving a recommendation from the commissioner, pursuant to this subdivision, the board of regents shall vote to either accept or reject the commissioner's recommendation no later than sixty days after receiving such recommendation.
d. If the board of regents adopts such curriculum, the curriculum requirement shall take effect no later than the next school year after such curriculum has been adopted.
e. If the board of regents rejects such curriculum, the commissioner shall provide a report as to the determination of the board to the governor, the temporary president of the senate, the speaker of the assembly and the chairs of the senate and assembly committees on education providing the reasons for such rejection not later than thirty days after the board of regents rejects such curriculum.
57. The commissioner shall on a biennial basis provide school districts with educational information relating to current drug abuse issues in order to ensure instruction provided pursuant to subdivision three of section eight hundred four of this title is relevant and current.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the commissioner of education to make recommendations to the board of regents relating 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
Purpose
To have the education commissioner make up to date recommendations relating to the instruction of mental health, alcohol, drug and tobacco use in junior and senior high schools.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 requires the commissioner to make recommendations to the board of regents relating to the adoption of instruction in mental health in junior and senior high schools, AFTER receiving recommendations from:
Read the full memo (801 words)
(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.
Legislative history
S.5546A of 2015-16; Passed Senate
Fiscal implications
To be determined
Effective date
This act shall take effect immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.