86R14067 GCB-F

By: Ramos H.B. No. 3888

A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

AN ACT

relating to a school district's plan for parental involvement concerning mental health and substance use issues and suicide prevention.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

SECTION 1. Section 28.004(c), Education Code, is amended to read as follows:

(c) The local school health advisory council's duties include recommending:

(1) the number of hours of instruction to be provided in health education;

(2) policies, procedures, strategies, and curriculum appropriate for specific grade levels designed to prevent obesity, cardiovascular disease, Type 2 diabetes, and mental health concerns, including suicide, through coordination of:

(A) health education;

(B) physical education and physical activity;

(C) nutrition services;

(D) parental involvement;

(E) instruction to prevent the use of e-cigarettes, as defined by Section 161.081, Health and Safety Code, and tobacco;

(F) school health services;

(G) counseling and guidance services;

(H) a safe and healthy school environment; and

(I) school employee wellness;

(3) appropriate grade levels and methods of instruction for human sexuality instruction;

(4) strategies for integrating the curriculum components specified by Subdivision (2) with the following elements in a coordinated school health program for the district:

(A) school health services;

(B) counseling and guidance services;

(C) a safe and healthy school environment; and

(D) school employee wellness; [and]

(5) if feasible, joint use agreements or strategies for collaboration between the school district and community organizations or agencies; and

(6) strategies to increase parental awareness regarding:

(A) risky behaviors and early warning signs of suicide risks and behavioral health concerns, including mental health disorders and substance use disorders; and

(B) available community programs and services that address risky behaviors, suicide risks, and behavioral health concerns.

SECTION 2. Section 161.325(d), Health and Safety Code, is amended to read as follows:

(d) A school district may develop practices and procedures concerning each area listed in Subsection (a-1), including mental health promotion and intervention, substance abuse prevention and intervention, and suicide prevention, that:

(1) include a procedure for providing educational material to all parents and families in the district that contains information on identifying risk factors, accessing resources for treatment or support provided on and off campus, and accessing available student accommodations provided on campus;

(2) include a procedure for providing notice of a recommendation for early mental health or substance abuse intervention regarding a student to a parent or guardian of the student within a reasonable amount of time after the identification of early warning signs as described by Subsection (b)(2);

(3) [(2)] include a procedure for providing notice of a student identified as at risk of committing suicide to a parent or guardian of the student within a reasonable amount of time after the identification of early warning signs as described by Subsection (b)(2);

(4) [(3)] establish that the district may develop a reporting mechanism and may designate at least one person to act as a liaison officer in the district for the purposes of identifying students in need of early mental health or substance abuse intervention or suicide prevention; and

(5) [(4)] set out available counseling alternatives for a parent or guardian to consider when their child is identified as possibly being in need of early mental health or substance abuse intervention or suicide prevention.

SECTION 3. Subchapter O-1, Chapter 161, Health and Safety Code, is amended by adding Section 161.3255 to read as follows:

Sec. 161.3255. PARENT EDUCATION ON BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES. (a) In this section, "parent" includes a guardian or other person standing in parental relation.

(b) At each campus in a school district in which at least 70 percent of the students in average daily attendance are educationally disadvantaged, homeless, as defined by 42 U.S.C. Section 11302, or in the conservatorship of the Department of Family and Protective Services, the district shall develop and implement a plan to increase parent and student knowledge and understanding of behavioral health disorders and treatment options. The plan must include strategies to educate and assist students and parents on:

(1) identifying mental health disorders, substance use disorders, suicidal ideation, and issues related to trauma in children and youth;

(2) accessing resources for treatment or support provided on and off campus; and

(3) accessing available accommodations provided on campus for student success.

(c) A school district may use internal or external resources to implement the strategies included in the plan required under Subsection (b), including:

(1) developing and integrating behavioral health education as part of the health curriculum;

(2) collaborating with behavioral health providers for treatment referrals and treatment services provided on campus;

(3) establishing partnerships with community-based organizations to provide relevant education and support;

(4) designating a behavioral-health parent-liaison at each campus of the district; and

(5) exploring other promising practices in the areas of identifying and treating mental health disorders, substance use disorders, suicidal ideation, and issues related to trauma in children and youth.

SECTION 4. This Act applies beginning with the 2019-2020 school year.

SECTION 5. This Act takes effect September 1, 2019.