Bill Text: NY S07236 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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

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Bill Title: Relates to improving student mental health and mental health literacy in institutions of higher education in the state; requires the amendment or adoption of related protocols, policies and programs in SUNY, CUNY and independent institutions of higher education.

Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill

Status: (Introduced) 2024-03-08 - PRINT NUMBER 7236A [S07236 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-S07236-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          7236

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                    IN SENATE

                                      May 18, 2023
                                       ___________

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

        AN ACT to amend the education law,  in  relation  to  improving  student
          mental  health  and  mental  health literacy in institutions of higher
          education in the state, and requiring the adoption of  related  proto-
          cols, policies and programs

          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 362 to
     2  read as follows:
     3    § 362. Student mental health. 1. All full-time faculty and  staff,  as
     4  well  as adjunct professors of the state university shall be required on
     5  an annual basis to undergo mental health training with a focus on  iden-
     6  tifying  or  recognizing  signs  of  mental distress among students. The
     7  chancellor of the state university, in conjunction with the  commission-
     8  er,  shall prescribe the form and manner in which such training shall be
     9  provided.
    10    2. The state university shall also take the following actions  regard-
    11  ing student mental health:
    12    (a)  (i)  review and amend various protocols and policies to establish
    13  parity between physical and mental health, including reasonable accommo-
    14  dations whenever possible and appropriate;
    15    (ii) review, amend and publish  enrollment,  re-enrollment,  voluntary
    16  and  involuntary  leave and termination policies of the state university
    17  and create specific provisions for students experiencing  mental  health
    18  issues  or  crises,  that  are  intended  to improve responses to mental
    19  health crises, improve  suicide  prevention  and  intervention,  provide
    20  flexible  voluntary  leave opportunities, provide individualized student
    21  assessments with consideration of reasonable requests  by  students  and
    22  with  appropriate  deference  to  their  treating providers, and provide

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10931-01-3
        S. 7236                             2

     1  reasonable accommodations intended to avoid extended  involuntary  leave
     2  or termination, whenever possible;
     3    (b)  require a mental health seminar to be included in all orientation
     4  programs for newly enrolled students intended to enhance  mental  health
     5  literacy among students with a goal of increasing knowledge about mental
     6  health, increasing help-seeking behavior, and reducing stigma;
     7    (c)  provide  appropriate staff training to all personnel to implement
     8  the above-referenced protocols and policies, to reduce  stigma,  and  to
     9  enhance mental health literacy; and
    10    (d)  institute  other  programs  to address and improve student mental
    11  health.
    12    3. The state university and the department shall research, review, and
    13  publish or adopt model protocols and policies, that may be  adopted  and
    14  implemented  by  colleges  and universities under their jurisdiction, to
    15  implement the provisions of subdivision two of this section.
    16    § 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6235 to read
    17  as follows:
    18    § 6235. Student mental health. 1. All full-time faculty and staff,  as
    19  well  as adjunct professors, of the city university shall be required on
    20  an annual basis to undergo mental health training with a focus on  iden-
    21  tifying  or  recognizing  signs  of  mental  distress among students and
    22  increasing mental health literacy  and  reducing  stigma  among  college
    23  employees.  The  chancellor  of the city university, in conjunction with
    24  the commissioner, shall prescribe the form  and  manner  in  which  such
    25  training shall be provided.
    26    2. The city university shall also take the following actions regarding
    27  student mental health:
    28    (a)  (i)  review and amend various protocols and policies to establish
    29  parity between physical and mental health, including reasonable accommo-
    30  dations whenever possible and appropriate;
    31    (ii) review, amend and publish  enrollment,  re-enrollment,  voluntary
    32  and  involuntary  leave  and termination policies of the city university
    33  and create specific provisions for students experiencing  mental  health
    34  issues  or  crises,  that  are  intended  to improve responses to mental
    35  health crises, improve  suicide  prevention  and  intervention,  provide
    36  flexible  voluntary  leave opportunities, provide individualized student
    37  assessments with consideration of reasonable requests  by  students  and
    38  with  appropriate  deference  to  their  treating providers, and provide
    39  reasonable accommodations intended to avoid extended  involuntary  leave
    40  or termination, whenever possible;
    41    (b)  require a mental health seminar to be included in all orientation
    42  programs for newly enrolled students intended to enhance  mental  health
    43  literacy among students with a goal of increasing knowledge about mental
    44  health, increasing help-seeking behavior, and reducing stigma;
    45    (c)  provide  appropriate staff training to all personnel to implement
    46  the above-referenced protocols and policies, to reduce  stigma,  and  to
    47  enhance mental health literacy; and
    48    (d)  institute  other  programs  to address and improve student mental
    49  health.
    50    3. The city university and the department shall research, review,  and
    51  publish  or  adopt model protocols and policies, that may be adopted and
    52  implemented by colleges and universities under  their  jurisdiction,  to
    53  implement the provisions of subdivision two of this section.
    54    §  3.  The  education  law is amended by adding a new section 237-a to
    55  read as follows:
        S. 7236                             3

     1    § 237-a. Student mental health, mental health literacy and training in
     2  master plans of independent institutions of  higher  education.  1.  The
     3  regents  plan  for higher education, required to be developed and trans-
     4  mitted pursuant to section two hundred thirty-seven of  this  part,  and
     5  approved  master  plans  of independent institutions of higher education
     6  shall include protocols, policies and programs intended to  improve  the
     7  mental   health  of  students,  improve  mental  health  literacy  among
     8  students, faculty and support staff, and establish parity between  phys-
     9  ical  and  mental  health, including reasonable accommodations, whenever
    10  possible and appropriate. The  regents  plan  shall  also  require  such
    11  institutions  to  review,  amend  and publish enrollment, re-enrollment,
    12  voluntary and involuntary leave, and termination policies  for  students
    13  experiencing mental health issues or crises; improve responses to mental
    14  health  crises;  review  and improve suicide prevention and intervention
    15  policies; and provide appropriate staff training to all full-time facul-
    16  ty and staff, as well as adjunct professors, to implement the  above-re-
    17  ferenced protocols, policies, and programs.
    18    2.  Independent  institutions  of higher education, shall review model
    19  protocols and policies that may be developed or adopted by the universi-
    20  ty, the city university, or the state education department and  consider
    21  whether  to  modify  or  adopt  for inclusion in their master plans, for
    22  purposes of improving student mental health and mental  health  literacy
    23  in such institutions.
    24    §  4.  This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
    25  the provisions relating to the regents plan and university master  plans
    26  pursuant  to  section three of this act, shall be effective on the first
    27  date, following the effective date of this  act,  when  such  plans  are
    28  required to be completed under section 237 of the education law.