Bill Text: PA HR980 | 2009-2010 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Promoting youth suicide prevention education for all administrative, teaching and counseling personnel in all public and private high schools in Pennsylvania.

Spectrum: Slight Partisan Bill (Republican 31-19)

Status: (Passed) 2010-10-06 - Adopted [HR980 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2009-HR980-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 4422
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No. 980 Session of2010
INTRODUCED BY MURT, BELFANTI, BEYER, BOYLE, BRADFORD, CALTAGIRONE, DALEY, DENLINGER, DiGIROLAMO, DONATUCCI, EVERETT, FLECK, GEIST, GILLESPIE, GINGRICH, GODSHALL, GOODMAN, GRELL, HARHART, HARKINS, HELM, HESS, KOTIK, MAJOR, MANN, MARSICO, MILLARD, MOUL, M. O'BRIEN, OLIVER, O'NEILL, PARKER, PHILLIPS, QUINN, READSHAW, REICHLEY, ROCK, ROEBUCK, SANTONI, SCHRODER, SIPTROTH, K. SMITH, SONNEY, STERN, SWANGER, TRUE, VEREB, VULAKOVICH, WATSON AND YOUNGBLOOD, OCTOBER 4, 2010
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35, OCTOBER 4, 2010
A RESOLUTION
Promoting youth suicide prevention education for all
administrative, teaching and counseling personnel in all
public and private high schools in Pennsylvania.
WHEREAS, In 2006, 2007 and 2008, there were 154 suicides in
Pennsylvania in which the victim was 20 years of age or younger
and an average of one suicide every week involved a high school
age victim; and
WHEREAS, In 2006, almost 1,100 Pennsylvania youth 15 to 19
years of age made a suicide attempt that required
hospitalization, indicating that an average of three older teens
are hospitalized because of a suicide attempt every day; and
WHEREAS, Suicide is the third leading cause of death for
young people in this Commonwealth; and
WHEREAS, The Centers for Disease Control's 2009 Youth Risk
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Behavior Surveillance Survey found that in the previous 12
months more than 13% of Pennsylvania high school students
seriously considered suicide, almost 10% planned suicide and
nearly 6% made a suicide attempt; and
WHEREAS, The Pennsylvania Youth Suicide Prevention Task
Force's Five Year Action Plan calls for suicide prevention
education for teachers and students by July 2012; and
WHEREAS, Signs of possible suicide risk or suicidal behavior
may affect school performance or be otherwise evident in the
classroom or other school settings; and
WHEREAS, Suicide is a preventable community health problem
among youth and other age groups; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives encourage all of
the more than 1,000 public and private high schools and the 500
school districts in Pennsylvania to facilitate and further youth
suicide prevention education for all administrative, teaching
and counseling personnel in the 2010-2011 school year and every
two years thereafter, and that this eduction familiarize high
school personnel with the risk and protective factors for youth
suicide, the warning and danger signs, the common myths and
misconceptions of suicide and school and community resources
offering help to students at risk of suicide.
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