HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	148
TWENTY-EIGHTH LEGISLATURE, 2016
STATE OF HAWAII

HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

 

 

Requesting the department of education to develop a statewide suicide prevention program.

 

 

                WHEREAS, suicide is the third leading cause of death among young people ages ten to nineteen; and

 

                WHEREAS, protecting the health and well-being of students is in line with school mandates and an ethical imperative for all professionals working with youth; and

 

     WHEREAS, predicting a crisis is impossible and every school needs to be prepared; and

 

     WHEREAS, in a typical high school, an estimated three students will attempt suicide each year; and

 

     WHEREAS, on average one young person dies by suicide every two hours in the United States; and

 

     WHEREAS, for every young person who dies by suicide, an estimated one hundred to two hundred youth make suicide attempts; and

 

WHEREAS, access to school-based mental health services and supports directly improves students’ physical and psychological safety, academic performance, cognitive performance and learning, and social–emotional development; and

 

WHEREAS, ninety per cent of suicides occur in people with mental disorders and the majority of people suffering from these mental disorders are not engaged in treatment; and

 

WHEREAS, school staff play a pivotal role in recognizing and referring the student to treatment that may reduce risk; and

 

WHEREAS, an urgent need exists for school districts to have policies and procedures in place to prevent, assess the risk of, intervene in, and respond to youth suicidal behavior; now, therefore,

 

     BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-eighth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2016, the Senate concurring, that the Superintendent of Education is requested to provide all staff with annual professional development on risk factors, warning signs, protective factors, response procedures, referrals, postvention, and resources regarding youth suicide prevention; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that this policy is requested to be distributed annually and included in all student and teacher handbooks and on the school website; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that developmentally-appropriate, student-centered education materials are requested to be integrated into the curriculum of all K-12 health classes; and

 

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the content of these age-appropriate materials is requested to include: (1) the importance of safe and healthy choices and coping strategies; (2) how to recognize risk factors and warning signs of mental disorders and suicide in oneself and others; and (3) help-seeking strategies for oneself or others, including how to engage school resources and refer friends for help; and

 

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, the Director of Health, the President of the Hawaii Association of School Psychologists, and the President of the Hawaii State Parent Teacher Student Association.

 

 

OFFERED BY:

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Report Title: 

Education; Statewide Suicide Prevention Program