STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 2204 2021-2022 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY January 14, 2021 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. CRUZ, FALL, THIELE, SEAWRIGHT, BARRON, COOK, ENGLEBRIGHT, SIMON, TAYLOR, ABBATE, SAYEGH, LUPARDO, RAMOS, O'DONNELL, DICKENS, DeSTEFANO, ASHBY, WALSH, J. M. GIGLIO, McDONOUGH, REILLY, TAGUE, ABINANTI, EPSTEIN, DINOWITZ, JEAN-PIERRE, RA, WALLACE, GRIFFIN, DARLING, MAGNARELLI -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. DE LA ROSA, M. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law and the education law, in relation to suicide prevention The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Section 7.07 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding 2 a new subdivision (i) to read as follows: 3 (i) The office, in consultation with the education department, shall 4 identify or develop materials for educators regarding suicide prevention 5 measures and signs of depression among school-aged youth which may be 6 used by school districts and boards of cooperative educational services, 7 at their option, to educate students as they deem appropriate. Such 8 educational materials shall include, but not be limited to, information 9 regarding symptoms of depression, how depression manifests itself in 10 different cultures, warning signs of suicide, actions to take once a 11 youth is identified as a risk of suicide, and a list of educational 12 websites regarding suicide and youths. Such material shall be available 13 on the internet website of the education department. The website of the 14 office shall provide a hyperlink to the internet page of the education 15 department that displays such materials. 16 § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to 17 read as follows: 18 § 804-e. Instruction related to the prevention of suicide among 19 youths. 1. The commissioner shall make available, on the department 20 website, materials, pursuant to subdivision (i) of section 7.07 of the EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06199-01-1

A. 2204 2 1 mental hygiene law, among school-aged youth identified or developed by 2 the office of mental health in consultation with the department. 3 2. Instruction regarding the prevention of suicide may be included in 4 the health education provided to all secondary school pupils and shall 5 be taught by teachers certified in health education. Related courses in 6 the secondary school curriculum may be taught in a manner supportive of 7 health education regarding the prevention of suicide among youths. 8 3. School authorities shall be authorized to provide the needed facil- 9 ities, time and place for the instruction set forth in this section and 10 to provide learning aids and curriculum resource materials which 11 contribute to effective teaching methods and learning in health educa- 12 tion regarding the prevention of suicide among youths. 13 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 14 the date on which it shall have become a law.

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