Bill Text: NY S06091 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires annual screenings for depression of students in grades seven through twelve and requires the department of education and the department of health to review data pertaining to the results of such screenings for local and statewide trends concerning teenage depression.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - REFERRED TO EDUCATION [S06091 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S06091-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          6091

                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 16, 2019
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by Sen. KAMINSKY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Education

        AN ACT to amend the education law and the public health law, in relation
          to requiring annual screenings for depression of  students  in  grades
          seven through twelve

          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section  905-a
     2  to read as follows:
     3    §  905-a.  Screening  examination for depression.   1. The director of
     4  school health services of each school district in  this  state  that  is
     5  required  to provide school health services, or the health department or
     6  agency otherwise responsible to provide  such  services,  shall  conduct
     7  annual  screening  examinations for depression of all students in grades
     8  seven through twelve. The screening shall be administered by a qualified
     9  professional and shall consist of the Patient Health Questionnaire 2  or
    10  an  equivalent  depression  screening tool, as determined by the commis-
    11  sioner, with the assistance of the commissioner of health.  The  screen-
    12  ings  shall  be  conducted  in  a manner that ensures the privacy of the
    13  student during the screening process  and  the  confidentiality  of  the
    14  results  consistent with state and federal laws applicable to the confi-
    15  dentiality of student records. The department, with  the  assistance  of
    16  the department of health, shall establish standards on the procedures to
    17  be  implemented to conduct the screenings for depression and provide for
    18  other screening tools, including, but not limited to, a  screening  tool
    19  for anxiety, such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 or an equivalent
    20  anxiety  screening  tool,  as  determined  by the commissioner, with the
    21  assistance of the commissioner of health.
    22    2. The positive results of any such screening examinations of students
    23  for depression shall be in writing and  the  parent  of,  or  person  in
    24  parental relation to, any child whose screening for depression detects a

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD08243-01-9
        S. 6091                             2

     1  suspected  deviation  from  the recommended standard shall be advised of
     2  such results by the school authorities within  ninety  days  after  such
     3  detection of a suspected deviation is made. The school authorities shall
     4  inform the parent, or person in parental relation, that the screening is
     5  not  a  diagnosis  and shall encourage the parent, or person in parental
     6  relation, to share the results  of  the  screening  with  the  student's
     7  primary care physician.
     8    3. The school authorities shall forward data collected from screenings
     9  administered  pursuant to this section to the department and the depart-
    10  ment of health, provided that any data forwarded shall be aggregated and
    11  shall not contain  any  identifying  or  confidential  information  with
    12  regard to any individual.  Data collected by the departments pursuant to
    13  this  subdivision shall be used by the departments to identify statewide
    14  trends concerning teenage depression and to develop school and community
    15  based initiatives to address teenage depression.
    16    4. As used in this section, "qualified professional"  means  a  school
    17  psychologist, school nurse, school counselor, student assistance coordi-
    18  nator, school social worker, or physician.
    19    §  2.  Section 206 of the public health law is amended by adding a new
    20  subdivision 31 to read as follows:
    21    31. The commissioner shall assist the  commissioner  of  education  in
    22  developing  rules  and  regulations relating to the annual screening for
    23  depression of students in grades seven  through  twelve,  in  accordance
    24  with section nine hundred five-a of the education law.
    25    § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.