Bill Summary for H 434 (2019-2020)

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Summary date: 

Apr 3 2019

Bill Information:

View NCGA Bill Details2019-2020 Session
House Bill 434 (Public) Filed Thursday, March 21, 2019
AN ACT TO REQUIRE LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION, CHARTER SCHOOLS, REGIONAL SCHOOLS, INNOVATIVE SCHOOLS, LABORATORY SCHOOLS, AND THE RENEWAL SCHOOL SYSTEM TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT A SUICIDE RISK REFERRAL PROTOCOL, A MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING PROGRAM, AND A POLICY AGAINST TEEN DATING VIOLENCE AND ABUSE.
Intro. by Horn, Cunningham, Murphy, White.

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Bill summary

House committee substitute to the 1st edition makes the following changes.

Enacts GS 115C-47(64) (regarding local boards of education), GS 115C-218.75(g) (regarding charter schools), GS 115C-238.66(14) (regarding regional schools), GS 116-239.8(b)(17) (regarding laboratory schools), and Section 6(d)(2)p. of SL 2018-32 (regarding renewal school systems) to require that each respective authority adopt and implement a suicide risk referral protocol and a mental health training program for school personnel who work directly with students in grades K-12, as required by GS 115C-375.11, as enacted. 

Modifies new GS 115C-375.11. Retitles the statute. Removes from the statute the deadline of July 1, 2020, for local boards of education to adopt and implement a suicide risk referral protocol for school personnel working with students in grades K-12. Clarifies that the specific requirements of the protocol are minimum requirements, and clarifies that the protocol must inform school personnel on how to identify and intervene in appropriate situations. Now requires rather than encourages local boards of education to implement a mental health training program for school personnel working with students in grades K-12. Removes from the statute the requirement for the training program to meet the minimum requirements for a mental health training program developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction's Working Group on Health and Well-Being. Expands the immunity from civil liability provided to cover any entity required to adopt a policy by the statutes and session laws amended by Section 1 of the act. 

Adds that each entity required to adopt and implement a suicide risk referral protocol and mental health training program must do so by July 1, 2020, and requires satisfaction of the requirements developed by the Superintendent of Public Instruction's Working Group on Health and Well-Being under Section 5 of SL 2018-32. Requires the Superintendent to ensure that a copy of the requirements be made available to each entity by October 1, 2019.

Deletes proposed Article 29D, Student Dating Violence and Abuse Prevention in GS Chapter 115C. Instead, enacts GS 115C-47(65) (concerning local boards of education), GS 115C-218.75(h) (concerning charter schools), GS 115C-238.66(15) (regarding regional schools), GS 116-239.8(b)(18) (regarding laboratory schools), and Section 6(d)(2)q. of SL 2018-32 (regarding renewal school systems) to require each entity to adopt and implement a dating violence and abuse policy that defines dating violence and abuse, prohibits dating violence and abuse by any student on school property, provides procedures for responding to incidents of dating violence or abuse, and is implemented in a manner that is integrated with the discipline policies of the school. Amends specified statutes to require each public school, charter school, regional school, and laboratory school to teach about dating violence and abuse, and specifically requires regional schools, laboratory schools and renewal school systems to incorporate dating violence and abuse instruction into the school's reproductive health and safety program if it has one.

Requires each entity required to adopt and implement a policy against dating violence and abuse by July 1, 2020, and requires each entity required to provide instruction on dating violence and abuse to do so beginning with the 2020-21 school year.