Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

PRINTER'S NO.   310
                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 356
                                               Session of
                                                 2025
     INTRODUCED BY MUNROE, KHAN, HANBIDGE, GIRAL, KENYATTA, SANCHEZ,
        GUENST, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, SCHLOSSBERG, HILL-EVANS, FRANKEL,
        GREEN, MADDEN, ISAACSON, DONAHUE AND HOWARD, JANUARY 27, 2025
     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 27, 2025
                                    AN ACT
 Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
    act relating to the public school system, including certain
    provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
    schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
    laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
    further providing for youth suicide awareness and prevention
    and providing for violence prevention and social inclusion.
    This act may be referred to as the Safety and Violence
 Education for Students (SAVE Students) Act.
    The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
 hereby enacts as follows:
    Section 1.    Section 1526 of the act of March 10, 1949
 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
 amended by adding a subsection to read:
    Section 1526.    Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention.--* * *
    (c.1)   The following shall apply to school personnel and
 student suicide awareness and prevention training:
    (1)   The department shall require a school entity serving
 students in grades six through twelve to provide students at
 least one (1) hour, or one (1) standard class period, of
 evidence-based suicide awareness and prevention training each
 school year. The following shall apply:
    (i)     The training may be delivered in person or digitally.
    (ii)     The training shall begin within two (2) years of the
 development of the list required under paragraph (2).
    (iii)     Training programs that combine the training
 requirements under this subsection and section 1526.1(a) may be
 used to fulfill the requirements of this subsection.
    (2)     Within one (1) year of the effective date of this
 paragraph, the department shall develop a list of evidence-based
 trainings and materials, including no-cost programming, if any,
 to fulfill the requirements of this subsection. At a minimum,
 the trainings shall:
    (i)     Teach school personnel how to identify the signs and
 signals of depression, suicide and self-injury in students and
 when and how to refer youth and their families to appropriate
 mental health services for assessment within the school entity
 and the community.
    (ii)     Teach students how to identify the signs and signals of
 depression, suicide and self-injury in themselves and their
 peers, the importance of seeking help for themselves and their
 peers and the process for seeking help.
    (3)     The department shall make the list under paragraph (2)
 available on the department's publicly accessible Internet
 website.
    (4)     For purposes of this subsection, the term "evidence-
 based" is defined as in section 1526.1(e).
    * * *
    Section 2.     The act is amended by adding a section to read:
    Section 1526.1.     Violence Prevention and Social Inclusion.--
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 (a)    The following shall apply to student safety and violence
 prevention training:
       (1)    The department shall require a school entity serving
 students in grades six through twelve to provide students at
 least one (1) hour, or one (1) standard class period, of
 evidence-based youth violence prevention training each school
 year. The following shall apply:
       (i)    The training may be delivered in person or digitally.
       (ii)    The training shall begin within two (2) years of the
 development of the list required under paragraph (2).
       (iii)    Training programs that combine the training
 requirements under this subsection and section 1526(c.1) may be
 used to fulfill the training requirements of this subsection.
       (2)    Within one (1) year of the effective date of this
 paragraph, the department shall develop a list of evidence-based
 trainings and materials, including no-cost programming, if any,
 to fulfill the requirements of this subsection. At a minimum,
 the trainings shall teach students the following:
       (i)    How to identify observable warning signs and signals of
 an individual who may be a threat to the individual or others.
       (ii)    The importance of taking threats seriously and seeking
 help.
       (iii)    The steps that can be taken to report dangerous,
 violent, threatening, harmful or potentially harmful activity.
       (3)    The department shall make the list under paragraph (2)
 available on the department's publicly accessible Internet
 website.
       (b)    The following shall apply to student social inclusion
 training:
       (1)    The department shall require a school entity serving
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 students in kindergarten through grade twelve to provide
 students at least one (1) hour, or one (1) standard class
 period, of evidence-based social inclusion training each school
 year. The following shall apply:
    (i)     The training may be delivered in person or digitally.
    (ii)    The training shall begin within two (2) years of the
 development of the list required under paragraph (2).
    (2)     Within one (1) year of the effective date of this
 paragraph, the department shall develop a list of evidence-based
 trainings and materials, including no-cost programming, if any,
 to fulfill the requirements of this subsection. At a minimum,
 the trainings shall teach students the following:
    (i)     What social isolation is and how to identify social
 isolation in others.
    (ii)    The importance of taking social isolation seriously and
 seeking help for peers.
    (iii)    How to utilize strategies to be more socially
 inclusive in the classroom and community and to establish
 connections with peers.
    (3)     The department shall make the list under paragraph (2)
 available on the department's publicly accessible Internet
 website.
    (c)     The following shall apply to student-led violence
 prevention clubs:
    (1)     Within one (1) year of the effective date of this
 paragraph, the department shall require a school entity serving
 students in kindergarten through grade twelve to designate a
 student-led violence prevention club that:
    (i)     is open to all members of the student body of the school
 entity; and
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    (ii)    has at least one (1) identified adult advisor of the
 club.
    (2)    At a minimum, a student-led violence prevention club
 shall do the following:
    (i)    Sustain awareness activities related to suicide
 prevention, violence prevention and social inclusion trainings.
    (ii)    Foster opportunities for student leadership
 development.
    (d)    To offset any costs associated with the implementation
 of the requirements of subsections (a), (b) and (c), the
 department shall, to the extent practicable, apply for any
 Federal or State funding made available to the department for
 the purposes of improving school safety.
    (e)    As used in this section, the following words and phrases
 shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
 the context clearly indicates otherwise:
    "Department."    The Department of Education of the
 Commonwealth.
    "Evidence-based."    A program or practice that demonstrates
 any of the following:
    (1)    A statistically significant effect on relevant outcomes
 based on any of the following:
    (i)    Strong evidence from not fewer than one (1) well-
 designed and well-implemented experimental study.
    (ii)    Moderate evidence from not fewer than one (1) well-
 designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study.
    (iii)    Promising evidence from not fewer than one (1) well-
 designed and well-implemented correlational study with
 statistical controls for selection bias.
    (2)    A rationale based on high-quality research findings or
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 positive evaluation that the program or practice is likely to
 improve relevant outcomes, which shall also include the ongoing
 efforts to examine the effects of the program or practice.
    "School entity."   A school district, joint school district,
 charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school,
 intermediate unit or area career and technical school.
    Section 3.   This act shall take effect immediately.
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Statutes/Laws affected: 
Printer's No. 0310: P.L.30, No.14