BILL NUMBER: S41
SPONSOR: WALCZYK
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to developing mate-
rials relating to suicide prevention for school-aged children, and to
amend the education law, in relation to including suicide prevention in
health education curriculum
 
PURPOSE:
The purpose of this bill is to require the Office of Mental Health in
consultation with the State Education Department to identify or develop
materials relating to suicide prevention in school-aged children,
including materials regarding social media safety and cyberbullying.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section one requires the Office of Mental Health and the State Education
Department to identify or develop materials for educators regarding
suicide prevention among school aged youth and requires materials to be
made available on the State Education Departments web site, including
information regarding social media safety and the prevention of cyber-
bullying.
Section two requires the commissioner of the education department to
make materials available on the departments website and also that
instruction regarding the prevention of suicide, social media safety and
cyberbullying may be provided to all secondary school pupils
and shall be taught by teachers certified in health education.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
It is critical that we make materials available to students that bring
awareness to the importance of suicide prevention as well as social
media safety and cyberbullying.
Since youth spend a vast majority of their time in an educational envi-
ronment, it is important that educators and staff members are a ware of
the mental well-being of students. This bill would provide resources to
education staff on the risk of suicide, how to prevent its occur-
rence,and on factors such as social media safety and cyberbullying which
may trigger feelings of helplessness and suicide in teens and young
adults.
Schools and educators will have the materials they need to inform
students about the resources available should a student have suicidal
thoughts, as well as information regarding the dangers that exist when
social media is misused.
The recent, tragic loss of two young residents of St Lawrence county,
and countless other similar tragedies around our state have demonstrated
the need to raise awareness of the dangers that can exist online and on
social media, as well as to provide resources to young people who are
experiencing feelings of helplessness and suicide.
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
A9030/S6241 (2021): Referred to Mental Health
A4703/S4176 (2023): Referred to Mental Health
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding the date
on which it shall have become law.

Statutes affected:
S41: 7.07 mental hygiene law