What's happening
This bill requires the development and distribution of suicide prevention materials for educators and allows suicide prevention instruction in school health education.
Why it matters
Empowers educators with targeted resources. By requiring the development and online distribution of suicide prevention materials, the bill ensures teachers have up-to-date guidance on identifying depression and suicide risk, especially tailored for school-aged children and diverse cultural backgrounds.
Addresses modern risk factors. The inclusion of social media safety and cyberbullying prevention in the materials directly responds to current challenges facing students, aiming to reduce triggers and online harms that can contribute to suicidal ideation.
Enables local flexibility in implementation. School districts and educational boards can choose how and when to use the materials, allowing adaptation to local needs and sensitivities while still promoting best practices in suicide prevention education.
Facilitates teacher training and resource access. By specifying that only certified health educators deliver instruction, and by making resources widely accessible online, the bill aims to ensure that suicide prevention education is both effective and informed by mental health expertise.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Teach Suicide Prevention in Schools
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to mental health
- Referred to mental health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Teach Suicide Prevention in Schools
In Assembly Committee · Education · Sponsor Jerett Gandolfo
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
41
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE (Prefiled)
January 8, 2025
Introduced by Sens. WALCZYK, BORRELLO, GALLIVAN, OBERACKER, RHOADS -read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to developing materials relating to suicide prevention for school-aged children, and to amend the education law, in relation to including suicide prevention in health education curriculum
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Section 7.07 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new subdivision (i) to read as follows:
(i) The office shall, in consultation with the education department, identify or develop materials for educators regarding suicide prevention measures and signs of depression among school-aged children which may be used by school districts and boards of cooperative educational services, at their option, to educate students about such topics as such districts and boards deem appropriate. Such educational materials shall include, but not be limited to, information regarding symptoms of depression, how depression manifests itself in different cultures, warning signs of suicide, actions to take once a child is identified as a risk of suicide, social media safety and the prevention of cyberbullying, and a list of educational websites regarding suicide and children. Such material shall be available on the education department's website. The office shall provide a hyperlink on its website to the page of the education department's website that displays such materials.
§ 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 804-e to read as follows:
§ 804-e. Instruction regarding the prevention of suicide among schoolaged children. 1. The commissioner shall make available on the department website materials identified or developed by the office of mental
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00106-01-5
health in consultation with the department pursuant to subdivision (i) of section 7.07 of the mental hygiene law.
2. Instruction regarding the prevention of suicide may be included in the health education provided to all secondary school pupils and shall be taught by teachers certified in health education. Related courses in the secondary school curriculum may be taught in a manner supportive of health education regarding the prevention of suicide among school-aged children.
3. School authorities shall be authorized to provide the necessary facilities, time and place for the instruction set forth in this section and to provide learning aids and curriculum resource materials which contribute to effective teaching methods and learning in health education regarding the prevention of suicide among school-aged children including instruction in social media safety and the prevention of cyberbullying.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to developing mate- rials relating to suicide prevention for school-aged children, and to amend the education law, in relation to including suicide prevention in health education curriculum
Purpose
The purpose of this bill is to require the Office of Mental Health in consultation with the State Education Department to identify or develop materials relating to suicide prevention in school-aged children, including materials regarding social media safety and cyberbullying.
Summary of provisions
Section one requires the Office of Mental Health and the State Education Department to identify or develop materials for educators regarding suicide prevention among school aged youth and requires materials to be made available on the State Education Departments web site, including information regarding social media safety and the prevention of cyber- bullying.
Section two requires the commissioner of the education department to make materials available on the departments website and also that instruction regarding the prevention of suicide, social media safety and cyberbullying may be provided to all secondary school pupils and shall be taught by teachers certified in health education.
Justification
It is critical that we make materials available to students that bring awareness to the importance of suicide prevention as well as social media safety and cyberbullying.
Since youth spend a vast majority of their time in an educational envi- ronment, it is important that educators and staff members are a ware of the mental well-being of students. This bill would provide resources to education staff on the risk of suicide, how to prevent its occur- rence,and on factors such as social media safety and cyberbullying which may trigger feelings of helplessness and suicide in teens and young adults.
Schools and educators will have the materials they need to inform students about the resources available should a student have suicidal thoughts, as well as information regarding the dangers that exist when social media is misused.
The recent, tragic loss of two young residents of St Lawrence county, and countless other similar tragedies around our state have demonstrated the need to raise awareness of the dangers that can exist online and on social media, as well as to provide resources to young people who are experiencing feelings of helplessness and suicide.
Legislative history
A9030/S6241 (2021): Referred to Mental Health
A4703/s4176 (2023)
Referred to Mental Health
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date on which it shall have become law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.