SPONSOR: |
Rep. Longhurst & Sen. Poore |
|
Reps.
Bolden, Briggs King, Dukes, Jaques, Keeley, Lynn, Mitchell, Paradee, Viola;
Sens. Cloutier, Ennis, Sokola, Townsend |
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 148th GENERAL ASSEMBLY |
HOUSE BILL NO. 90 |
AN ACT TO AMEND TITLE 14 OF THE DELAWARE CODE RELATING TO SUICIDE PREVENTION IN SCHOOLS. |
Section 1.
Amend Title 14 of the Delaware Code by making deletions as shown by
strike through and insertions as shown by underline as follows:
§ 4124 Suicide prevention.
(a)
Each local education agency shall ensure
that its public school employees receive combined training each year totaling
90 minutes on suicide prevention. The training materials shall be evidence
based and developed and/or approved by the Department of Health and Social
Services, the Department of Services for Children, Youth and their Families and
the Department of Education. Any
in-service training required by this section shall be provided within the
contracted school year as provided in §1305(e) of this title.
(b) Each local education agency shall establish a
policy which shall require but not be limited to the following:
(1) Recognition of the serious problem of youth
suicide.
(2) The development of a suicide prevention
program.
(3) That each school within a local education
agency establish a committee that is responsible for coordinating the suicide
prevention program within that school.
(4) A statement prohibiting retaliation against a
student employee, school volunteer or student for reporting the warning signs
of suicide.
(5) That a procedure be established for the
confidential and anonymous reporting of the warning signs of suicide.
(6) That a procedure be established for
communication between school staff members and medical professionals who are
involved in treating students for suicide issues.
(c) Each local education agency shall adopt the policy required by subsection (b) and shall submit a copy to the Delaware Department of Education by September 1, 2016. Any policy changes shall be provided to the Department within 60 calendar days. For any local education agency opening after September 1, 2016, the policy shall be provided by September 1st of the year the local education agency opens.
(d) The policy adopted pursuant to this section
shall appear in the student and staff handbook and on the website of each local
education agency.
(e) A school employee, school volunteer or
student is individually immune from a cause of action for damages arising from
reporting warning signs of suicide to the appropriate person or persons using
the procedures specified in the local education agency’s suicide prevention
policy, but there shall be no such immunity if the act of reporting constituted
gross negligence and/or reckless, willful or intentional conduct.
SYNOPSIS
This bill requires all public school employees to receive 90 minutes
of training each year on suicide prevention. The bill also requires all
public schools to establish a suicide prevention committee. Furthermore, the
bill requires local education agencies to create a suicide prevention policy. |