Bill Text: NJ A3224 | 2014-2015 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires certain additional school district personnel to complete training program on suicide prevention.*
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2015-02-23 - Assembly Substitution (Singleton) [A3224 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2014-A3224-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman ANNETTE QUIJANO
District 20 (Union)
Assemblywoman ELIANA PINTOR MARIN
District 29 (Essex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Wilson and Assemblywoman Riley
SYNOPSIS
Requires annual suicide prevention instruction for public school teaching staff members as part of professional development requirement.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning annual suicide prevention instruction for public school teaching staff members and amending P.L.2005, c.310.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 2 of P.L.2005, c.310 (C.18A:6-112) is amended to read as follows:
2. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the New Jersey Youth Suicide Prevention Advisory Council established in the Department of Children and Families pursuant to P.L.2003, c.214 (C.30:9A-22 et seq.), shall, as part of the professional development requirement established by the State board for public school teaching staff members, require each public school teaching staff member to complete at least two hours of instruction in suicide prevention, to be provided by a licensed health care professional with training and experience in mental health issues, in each year of the professional development period. The instruction in suicide prevention shall include information on the relationship between the risk of suicide and incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying and information on reducing the risk of suicide in students who are members of communities identified as having members at high risk of suicide.
(cf: P.L.2010, c.122, s.4)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires that public school teaching staff members receive two hours of instruction in suicide prevention annually as part of the professional development requirement. Currently, two hours of instruction in suicide prevention is required over the course of the five-year professional development period. Because of the devastating consequences of suicide on families and communities, and because teaching staff members are well placed to notice and act on any early signs of depression, this bill directs that public school teaching staff members receive two hours of instruction annually in suicide prevention, for a total of 10 hours over the course of the professional development period.
