Bill Text: CA AB2003 | 2025-2026 | Regular Session | Introduced

California Assembly Bill 2003

CA State Legislature page for AB2003

NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft

Bill Title: Pupil health: suicide prevention.

Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 5)

Status: (Engrossed) 2026-06-03 - Referred to Com. on ED. [AB2003 Detail]

Download: California-2025-AB2003-Introduced.html

CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION

Assembly Bill

No. 2003

Introduced by Assembly Member Berman

February 17, 2026

An act to amend Sections 216 of, and to add Section 216.5 to, the Education Code, relating to pupil health.

LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST

AB 2003, as introduced, Berman. Pupil health: suicide prevention.

Existing law requires the State Department of Education to identify an evidence-based online training program that a county office of education, school district, state special school, or charter school that serves pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, can use to train school staff and pupils as part of their policy on pupil suicide prevention. Existing law requires the department, subject to an appropriation for these purposes, to provide a grant to a county office of education to acquire a training program identified by the department and disseminate that training program at no cost to specified educational entities, as specified.

This bill would revise and recast these provisions by (1) deleting the requirement to provide the above-described grant, (2) deleting the requirement of the department to identify the above-described evidence-based online training program, (3) instead requiring the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission to develop an online training program to train school staff, parents, and pupils of county offices of education, school districts, state special schools, and charter schools that serve pupils in kindergarten or in any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive, on pupil suicide prevention, as specified. The bill would require those educational entities that elect to conduct suicide risk screenings to report data on these screenings to the department, as provided, and would require the department to compile and post statewide aggregate data on these screenings on its internet website, as provided.

Vote: MAJORITY Appropriation: NO Fiscal Committee: YES Local Program: NO

The people of the State of California do enact as follows:

SECTION 1.

Section 216 of the Education Code is amended to read:

216.

(a) The ~~department shall identify one or more evidence-based online training programs that a local educational agency can use~~ Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission shall, in consultation with the department and the State Department of Public Health, develop an evidence based online training program that is accessible, free of charge, statewide to train school ~~staff and pupils~~ staff, pupils, and parents as part of the local educational agency’s policy on pupil suicide prevention adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 215.

(b) In ~~identifying~~ developing an online training program pursuant to subdivision (a), the ~~department~~ Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission shall ensure all of the following:

(1) The training program is evidence ~~based.~~ based, trauma informed, and culturally and linguistically competent.

(2) The training program is consistent with the model pupil suicide prevention policy developed by the department pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 215.

(3) The training program addresses the needs of high-risk groups as specified in paragraph ~~(2)~~ (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 215.

(4) The training program can track aggregate, statewide usage.

(5) The training program can assess trainee knowledge before and after training is provided in order to measure training outcomes.

(c)(1)The department shall, subject to funds being appropriated in the annual Budget Act or another statute for this purpose, provide a grant to a county office of education, upon application by the county office of education, for the county office of education to acquire a training program identified by the department pursuant to subdivision (a) and disseminate that training program to local educational agencies.
~~(2)The county office of education shall make the training program available to local educational agencies at no cost.~~
~~(3)A local educational agency is not required to use the training program and may use the training program on a voluntary basis.~~
~~(d)~~

(c) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a county office of education, school district, state special school, or charter school that serves pupils in kindergarten or in any of grades 7 1 to 12, inclusive.

~~(e)The requirements of this section are contingent on funds being appropriated in the annual Budget Act or another statute for its purposes.~~

SEC. 2.

Section 216.5 is added to the Education Code, to read:

216.5.

(a) For purposes of this section, “local educational agency” means a county office of education, school district, state special school, or charter school that serves pupils in kindergarten or in any of grades 1 to 12, inclusive.

(b) A local educational agency that conducts suicide risk screenings, including as provided under a school-linked behavioral health program or the local educational agency’s policy on pupil suicide prevention adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 215, shall report data on those screenings to the department.

(c) In collecting and reporting data pursuant to subdivision (b), the local educational agency shall ensure that all of the following occurs:

(1) Data is reported in a deidentified, aggregate format that protects pupil privacy consistent with state and federal data privacy laws.

(2) Data is consistent with the requirements of the model pupil suicide prevention policy developed by the department pursuant to paragraph (5) of subdivision (a) of Section 215.

(3) Data includes, but is not limited to, the number of screenings conducted and all of the following information for each screening:

(A) The pupil’s age.

(B) The pupil’s grade.

(D) The pupil’s race.

(E) The pupil’s ethnicity.

(F) The severity level of suicide risk identified.

(G) Whether the pupil is identified as belonging to any high-risk groups, including, but not limited to, high-risk groups as defined in paragraph (3) of subdivision (a) of Section 215, or any other high-risk groups identified in the local educational agency’s policy on pupil suicide prevention adopted pursuant to subdivision (a) of Section 215, to the extent known and applicable.

(H) Any other relevant data that may support local suicide prevention efforts.

(4) Data is reported to the department on at least an annual basis.

(d) The department shall compile the data reported pursuant to this section and post statewide aggregate data on its internet website to inform policy and program development.

(e) To promote consistency across behavioral health systems statewide, the department shall coordinate data collection efforts made pursuant to this section with the State Department of Health Care Services, including, as appropriate, data collection frameworks established under the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative and the school-linked statewide fee schedule established pursuant to Section 5961.4 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.