Bill Text: TX HB2954 | 2021-2022 | 87th Legislature | Comm Sub
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relating to a suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention grant program for certain public elementary schools.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-3)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-05-25 - Committee report printed and distributed [HB2954 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB2954-Comm_Sub.html
Bill Title: Relating to a suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention grant program for certain public elementary schools.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 10-3)
Status: (Engrossed - Dead) 2021-05-25 - Committee report printed and distributed [HB2954 Detail]
Download: Texas-2021-HB2954-Comm_Sub.html
87R16043 BDP-D | |||
By: Thompson of Harris, Hunter, Dutton, | H.B. No. 2954 | ||
Coleman, Allen, et al. | |||
Substitute the following for H.B. No. 2954: | |||
By: Dutton | C.S.H.B. No. 2954 |
|
||
|
||
relating to a suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention | ||
program for certain public elementary schools. | ||
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: | ||
SECTION 1. Subchapter G, Chapter 38, Education Code, is | ||
amended by adding Section 38.3515 to read as follows: | ||
Sec. 38.3515. SUICIDE PREVENTION, INTERVENTION, AND | ||
POSTVENTION PROGRAM. (a) In this section: | ||
(1) "Licensed mental health professional" includes: | ||
(A) a psychologist licensed to practice in this | ||
state and designated as a health-service provider; | ||
(B) a registered nurse with a master's or | ||
doctoral degree in psychiatric nursing; | ||
(C) an advanced practice registered nurse, as | ||
defined by Section 301.152, Occupations Code, who holds a | ||
nationally recognized board certification in psychiatric or mental | ||
health nursing; | ||
(D) a licensed clinical social worker, as defined | ||
by Section 505.002, Occupations Code; | ||
(E) a licensed professional counselor, as | ||
defined by Section 503.002, Occupations Code; | ||
(F) a licensed marriage and family therapist, as | ||
defined by Section 502.002, Occupations Code; | ||
(G) a licensed specialist in school psychology, | ||
as defined by Section 501.002, Occupations Code; and | ||
(H) a school counselor certified under | ||
Subchapter B, Chapter 21. | ||
(2) "Postvention" includes activities that promote | ||
healing necessary to reduce the risk of suicide by a person affected | ||
by the suicide of another. | ||
(b) To the extent funds are appropriated to the agency for | ||
that purpose, the agency, in coordination with the Health and Human | ||
Services Commission, shall establish a suicide prevention, | ||
intervention, and postvention program for optional implementation | ||
at an elementary school campus of a school district or | ||
open-enrollment charter school described by Subsection (c). | ||
(c) A school district or open-enrollment charter school is | ||
eligible to participate in the program established under this | ||
section if the district or school or a campus of the district or | ||
school has: | ||
(1) experienced suicide loss among elementary school | ||
students enrolled in the district or school in the 2016-2017 school | ||
year or a subsequent school year; or | ||
(2) a reasonable concern regarding the risk of suicide | ||
among elementary school students enrolled in the district or school | ||
based on: | ||
(A) students' exposure to traumatic events or | ||
experiences, including the loss of an educator or another student | ||
in the district; or | ||
(B) increased rates of traumatic stress | ||
symptoms, including self-harm or incidents of bullying on a | ||
district or school campus. | ||
(d) The agency may prioritize for funding purposes school | ||
districts or open-enrollment charter schools described by | ||
Subsection (c)(1). A school district or open-enrollment charter | ||
school that implements the program may prioritize campuses within | ||
the district or school to participate in the program based on the | ||
direct impact of student suicides on the campuses. | ||
(e) For each elementary school campus at which the program | ||
is implemented, the school district or open-enrollment charter | ||
school shall: | ||
(1) conduct a needs-based assessment to identify | ||
individual needs of each campus in the program; | ||
(2) coordinate with the Health and Human Services | ||
Commission and a district or school that has implemented a | ||
comprehensive Suicide Safer Early Intervention and Prevention | ||
system, a program through Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and | ||
Resiliency in Education), or another similar primary prevention, | ||
intervention, and postvention program to provide school-based | ||
suicide prevention best practices for each campus in the program; | ||
(3) provide recommendations for research-based best | ||
practices for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention | ||
policies; | ||
(4) ensure that informational materials distributed | ||
by the district or school are age-appropriate and evidence-based; | ||
and | ||
(5) provide suicide prevention, intervention, and | ||
postvention support to each campus in the program, including by: | ||
(A) identifying the individual needs of the | ||
campus through the assessment conducted under Subdivision (1); and | ||
(B) implementing research-based best practices | ||
for suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention by working | ||
with licensed mental health professionals, teachers, nurses, | ||
administrators, and other staff, as well as law enforcement | ||
officers and social workers who regularly interact with students, | ||
to prevent suicide among students enrolled at the campus. | ||
(f) Each school district or open-enrollment charter school | ||
that implements the program under this section shall provide | ||
written notice to a parent or guardian of each student enrolled at a | ||
campus in the program. The required written notice must include: | ||
(1) current statewide information on suicide rates; | ||
(2) evidence-based informational materials | ||
identifying strategies to recognize the signs and symptoms of | ||
possible suicidal ideation that are age-appropriate for children | ||
who are four years of age or older; | ||
(3) information about suicide prevention strategies | ||
involving reducing access to lethal means of suicide for a student | ||
at risk of suicide; and | ||
(4) a list of available school and community resources | ||
to support students or community members who may be at risk for | ||
suicide. | ||
(g) In addition to the practices and procedures developed by | ||
a school district or open-enrollment charter school under Section | ||
38.351(i), a district or school that implements the program shall | ||
develop practices and procedures concerning suicide prevention, | ||
intervention, and postvention that: | ||
(1) include a procedure for providing notice to a | ||
parent or guardian of a student regarding a recommendation for | ||
early mental health intervention for the student within a | ||
reasonable amount of time after the identification of early warning | ||
signs of risk for suicide, including: | ||
(A) declining academic performance; | ||
(B) depression; | ||
(C) anxiety; | ||
(D) isolation; | ||
(E) unexplained changes in sleep or eating | ||
habits; and | ||
(F) destructive behavior toward self and others; | ||
(2) include a procedure for providing notice of a | ||
student identified as at risk of attempting suicide, including a | ||
student who is or may be the victim of or who engages in bullying, to | ||
a parent or guardian of the student within a reasonable amount of | ||
time after the identification of early warning signs, including the | ||
signs listed in Subdivision (1); | ||
(3) designate at least one person to act as a liaison | ||
officer in the district or school for the purposes of identifying | ||
students in need of suicide prevention, intervention, and | ||
postvention; | ||
(4) provide information concerning available | ||
counseling alternatives to parents and guardians of district or | ||
school students to consider when a student is identified as | ||
possibly in need of suicide prevention, intervention, and | ||
postvention; and | ||
(5) include procedures to support the return of a | ||
student to regular school attendance following hospitalization or | ||
residential treatment for a mental health condition or substance | ||
abuse. | ||
(h) The practices and procedures developed under Subsection | ||
(g) must be included in: | ||
(1) the annual student handbook; and | ||
(2) the district improvement plan under Section | ||
11.252. | ||
(i) Any school district or open-enrollment charter school | ||
that implements the program may: | ||
(1) contract with a regional education service center | ||
for services; and | ||
(2) request the assistance of public and private | ||
community-based mental health resources. | ||
(j) The agency: | ||
(1) may accept donations for purposes of this section | ||
from sources without a conflict of interest; and | ||
(2) may not accept donations for purposes of this | ||
section from an anonymous source. | ||
(k) Nothing in this section is intended to interfere with | ||
the rights of parents or guardians and the decision-making | ||
regarding the best interest of the child. Practices and procedures | ||
developed in accordance with this section are intended to notify a | ||
parent or guardian of a need for suicide prevention, intervention, | ||
or postvention so that a parent or guardian may take appropriate | ||
action. | ||
(l) Nothing in this section authorizes a school district or | ||
open-enrollment charter school employee to recommend prescription | ||
medication for a student or to interfere with medical decisions to | ||
be made by the student's parent or guardian. | ||
(m) The commissioner shall adopt rules to administer this | ||
section. | ||
(n) This section expires September 1, 2025. | ||
SECTION 2. This Act applies beginning with the 2021-2022 | ||
school year. | ||
SECTION 3. The Texas Education Agency is required to | ||
implement a provision of this Act only if the legislature | ||
appropriates money specifically for that purpose. If the | ||
legislature does not appropriate money specifically for that | ||
purpose, the Texas Education Agency may, but is not required to, | ||
implement a provision of this Act using other appropriations | ||
available for that purpose. | ||
SECTION 4. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives | ||
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as | ||
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this | ||
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this | ||
Act takes effect September 1, 2021. |