Revision: March 27, 2014, midnight
HB 1588-FN – AS INTRODUCED
2014 SESSION
04/05
HOUSE BILL 1588-FN
AN ACT requiring suicide prevention education in schools.
SPONSORS: Rep. Schlachman, Rock 18; Rep. Abrami, Rock 19; Rep. Walz, Merr 23; Rep.?LeBrun, Hills 32; Rep. Lovejoy, Rock 36; Rep. Flockhart, Rock 18; Rep.?Harding, Graf 13; Rep. J. MacKay, Merr 14; Sen. Fuller Clark, Dist 21; Sen.?Lasky, Dist 13; Sen. Bradley, Dist 3; Sen. Pierce, Dist 5
This bill requires school districts and chartered public schools to provide suicide prevention education and training to pupils, parents, faculty, staff, and school volunteers.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
14-2062
04/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Fourteen
AN ACT requiring suicide prevention education in schools.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 New Chapter; Suicide Prevention Education. Amend RSA by inserting after chapter 193-H the following new chapter:
CHAPTER 193-I
193-I:1 Legislative Purpose. The general court finds that:
I. Suicide cuts across ethnic, economic, social, and age boundaries and has a tremendous and traumatic impact on surviving family members, friends, and the community at-large.
II. After unintentional injury, suicide has become the leading cause of death among young people between the ages of 10 and 24. At a time when unintentional injuries have been on the decline, suicides have increased.
III. In 2008, the state board of education, under RSA 186:11, was charged with providing “information about youth suicide prevention to all public and private schools to facilitate the delivery of appropriate courses and programs.”
IV. The legislature recognizes that suicide is a complex issue that requires school, family, and community resources be harnessed for appropriate and timely help to be available to New?Hampshire in order to prevent suicide.
V. The purpose of this legislation is reduce the number of suicides in our school population by ensuring that suicide prevention education and training is available to school personnel and to students and their parents using age-appropriate and evidence-based materials.
193-I:2 Suicide Prevention Education.
I. Each school district and chartered public school shall develop a policy that guides the development and implementation of a coordinated plan to prevent, assess the risk of, intervene in, and respond to suicide. The policy shall include, but not be limited to, the following provisions:
(a) Training faculty, staff, and school volunteers in youth suicide risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, response procedures, referrals, post-intervention, and resources available within the school and community.
(b) Educating students in the importance of safe and healthy choices and coping strategies, how to recognize risk factors and warning signs of mental disorders and suicide in oneself and others, and help-seeking strategies for oneself or others, including how to engage school resources and refer friends for help.
(c) Identifying within the school the person or persons to serve as the point of contact when a student is believed to be at an elevated risk for suicide.
(d) Making referral, crisis intervention and other related information, both within the school and the community, available for students, parents, faculty, staff, and school volunteers.
(e) Promoting cooperative efforts between school districts, chartered public schools, and community suicide prevention program personnel.
II. Each school district and chartered public school shall provide training, to begin within 9 months of the effective date of this section, for faculty, staff, and school volunteers in youth suicide risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, response procedures, referrals, post-intervention, and resources available within the school and community. Training shall occur within the first year for newly hired faculty and staff; and every 3 years thereafter for all. This shall be accomplished within the framework of existing in-service training programs or offered as part of ongoing professional development activities.
III. School suicide prevention policies required under paragraph I and the training required under paragraph II shall be evidence-based and best practices, as found on the national best practice registry maintained by the Suicide Prevention Resource Center and American Foundation for Suicide Prevention.
IV. Nothing in this chapter shall require the inclusion of any specific curriculum, textbook, or other material designed to address the topic of suicide in any program or activity conducted by a school district or chartered public school.
193-I:3 Immunity. Nothing in this chapter shall create a private right of action against any school administrative unit, school district, public academy, chartered public school, the state, or any employee, contractor, subcontractor or agent thereof. A school administrative unit employee, school employee, chartered public school employee, public academy employee, regular school volunteer, pupil, parent, legal guardian, or employee of a company under contract to a school, school district, school administrative unit, or chartered public school, shall be immune from civil liability for conduct arising from or related to the implementation of, or failure to adequately implement, this chapter.
2 Effective Date. This act shall take effect 60 days after its passage.
LBAO
14-2062
12/13/13
HB 1588-FN - FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT requiring suicide prevention education in schools.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Education states this bill, as introduced, will increase state general fund expenditures by $455,180 in FY 2015, $197,856 in FY 2016, $204,426 in FY 2017, $425,905 in FY 2018, and $224,390 in FY 2019. There will be no impact on state, county, and local revenue, or county and local expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Education states this bill requires school districts and chartered public schools to provide suicide prevention education and training to students, parents, faculty, staff, and school volunteers. The Department states as of November 2013, there are 22 approved chartered public schools and 458 traditional public schools (including preschools), with over 15,000 teachers in the state. The Department estimates that each of the 480 public schools would need $5,000 to provide training to every individual required by this bill, for a total of $2,400,000 in FY 2015. The Department states that to adequately meet the requirements of this bill, rather than provide funding directly to each school it assumes it could hire staff and contract with trainers to provide the education required by this bill and ensure compliance. The Department states it would need to hire one full-time education consultant and one program assistant I beginning in FY 2015 and contract with four trainers in FY 2015 and FY 2018, while only needed one contracted trainer in each FY 2016, FY2017, and FY 2019 ($35,000 per trainer per year). The Department estimates the following total costs:
? |
FY 2015 |
FY 2016 |
FY 2017 |
FY 2018 |
FY 2019 |
Education Consultant |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Salary |
$49,036 |
$51,754 |
$54,030 |
$56,389 |
$58,893 |
Benefits |
$27,093 |
$28,761 |
$30,414 |
$32,161 |
$34,020 |
Program Assistant |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Salary |
$27,854 |
$29,198 |
$30,398 |
$31,536 |
$32,778 |
Benefits |
$22,903 |
$24,299 |
$25,740 |
$27,245 |
$28,855 |
Contracted Trainers |
$140,000 |
$35,000 |
$35,000 |
$140,000 |
$35,000 |
Personnel Costs |
$266,886 |
$169,012 |
$175,582 |
$287,331 |
$189,546 |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Trainings |
$54,480 |
$10,000 |
$10,000 |
$52,755 |
$10,000 |
Training Materials |
$100,810 |
$10,000 |
$10,000 |
$61,975 |
$10,000 |
Travel Expenses |
$20,000 |
$5,000 |
$5,000 |
$20,000 |
$5,000 |
Office Supplies |
$3,844 |
$3,844 |
$3,844 |
$3,844 |
$3,844 |
Equipment |
$9,160 |
$0 |
$0 |
$0 |
$6,000 |
Non-Personnel Costs |
$188,294 |
$28,844 |
$28,844 |
$138,574 |
$34,844 |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
? |
Total Costs |
$455,180 |
$197,856 |
$204,426 |
$425,905 |
$224,390 |
This bill provides neither an appropriation nor authorization for new positions.