North Carolina HB 434: Suicide Risk Ref./Mental Health/Teen Violence.

Bill Text

GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF NORTH CAROLINA
SESSION 2019
H D
HOUSE BILL DRH40195-MT-93

Short Title: Suicide Risk Ref./Mental Health/Teen Violence. (Public)
Sponsors: Representatives Horn, Cunningham, Murphy, and White (Primary Sponsors).
Referred to:

*DRH40195-MT-93*
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED 1
AN ACT TO REQUIRE LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT 2
A SUICIDE RISK REFERRAL PROTOCOL AND A POLICY AGAINST TEEN DATING 3
VIOLENCE AND ABUSE AND TO ENCOURAGE LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION 4
TO ADOPT AND IMPLEMENT A MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING PROGRAM. 5
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts: 6
SECTION 1.(a) The title of Article 25A of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes 7
reads as rewritten: 8
"Article 25A. 9
"Special Medical and Mental Health Needs of Students." 10
SECTION 1.(b) Article 25A of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 11
adding a new section to read: 12
"§ 115C-375.11. Suicide risk referral protocol required; mental health training program 13
encouraged. 14
(a) No later than July 1, 2020, each local board of education shall adopt and implement 15
a suicide risk referral protocol for school personnel who work directly with students in grades K 16
through 12. The protocol shall meet the minimum requirements for a suicide risk referral protocol 17
developed by the Superintendent's Working Group on Health and Well-Being pursuant to Section 18
5 of S.L. 2018-32, including requirements to do all of the following: 19
(1) Inform school personnel of suicide risk referral procedures, including the 20
provision of training. 21
(2) Establish crisis teams. 22
(3) Identify and intervene in appropriate situations. 23
(b) Each local board of education is encouraged to adopt and implement a mental health 24
training program for school personnel who work directly with students in grades K through 12. 25
Any mental health training program adopted by a local board of education shall meet the 26
minimum requirements for a mental health training program developed by the Superintendent's 27
Working Group on Health and Well-Being pursuant to Section 5 of S.L. 2018-32 and address the 28
following topics: 29
(1) Youth mental health. 30
(2) Suicide prevention. 31
(3) Substance abuse. 32
(4) Sexual abuse prevention. 33
(5) Sex trafficking prevention. 34
(c) Local boards of education shall periodically review and update their adopted suicide 35
risk referral protocols and mental health training programs, as necessary. 36
H.B. 434
Mar 21, 2019
HOUSE PRINCIPAL CLERK

General Assembly Of North Carolina Session 2019
Page 2 DRH40195-MT-93
(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose an additional duty on a local 1
school administrative unit or its employees to provide referral, suicide prevention, or mental 2
health services to students of the unit. 3
(e) No local board of education, nor its members, employees, designees, agents, or 4
volunteers, shall be liable in civil damages to any party for any loss or damage caused by any act 5
or omission relating to the provision of, participation in, or implementation of any component of 6
a suicide risk referral protocol required by this section or mental health training program 7
encouraged by this section, unless that act or omission amounts to gross negligence, wanton 8
conduct, or intentional wrongdoing. Nothing in this section shall be construed to impose any 9
specific duty of care or standard of care on a local school administrative unit." 10
SECTION 2. Subchapter VI of Chapter 115C of the General Statutes is amended by 11
adding a new Article to read: 12
"Article 29D. 13
"Student Dating Violence and Abuse Prevention. 14
"§ 115C-407.25. Policy against dating violence and abuse. 15
No later than July 1, 2020, each local board of education shall adopt and implement a dating 16
violence and abuse policy. The policy shall do all of the following: 17
(1) Prohibit dating violence and abuse by any student on school property during 18
a school-sponsored activity or during school-sponsored transportation. 19
(2) Provide procedures for responding to such incidents of dating violence or 20
abuse, including accommodations for students experiencing dating violence 21
or abuse. 22
(3) Define dating violence and abuse and provide for a teen dating violence and 23
abuse component in the reproductive health and safety education program set 24
forth in G.S. 115C-81.30. 25
(4) Be implemented in a manner that is integrated with each school district's 26
discipline policies." 27
SECTION 3. This act is effective when it becomes law. 28