AN ACT

 

1Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
2act relating to the public school system, including certain
3provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
4schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
5laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
6providing for youth suicide awareness and prevention <-and for 
7child exploitation awareness education.

8The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
9hereby enacts as follows:

10Section 1. The act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known
11as the Public School Code of 1949, is amended by adding <-a 
12section <-sections to read:

<-13Section 1205.7. Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention
14Education.--(a) Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year,
15school entities shall adopt a youth suicide awareness and
16prevention policy. The policy shall be established in

1conjunction with a youth suicide prevention organization
2operating in this Commonwealth. The policy shall:

3(1) Provide a statement on youth suicide prevention and
4awareness and the protocols for administering youth suicide
5prevention education.

6(2) Direct the chief school administrator of the school
7entity to implement a procedure that identifies:

8(i) Methods of prevention, including protocols for early
9identification and referral of students at risk of suicide.

10(ii) Methods of intervention, including protocols that
11address an emotional or mental health safety plan for students
12identified as being at increased risk of suicide.

13(iii) Methods of postvention, including protocols for
14responding to a student or staff suicide or suicide attempt.

15(iv) Reporting procedures.

16(v) Current contact information for and resources available
17on suicide awareness and prevention programs.

18(b) A school entity:

19(1) Shall inform all school entity employes of the policy
20and make available to them youth suicide awareness and
21prevention education, materials and resources based on the
22policy.

23(2) Shall, beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, submit
24the professional development plan to the secretary for approval
25pursuant to section 1205.1 that includes four (4) hours of
26training in youth suicide awareness and prevention every five
27(5) years for professional educators in school buildings serving
28students in grade six (6), seven (7), eight (8), nine (9), ten
29(10), eleven (11) or twelve (12). Training under this subsection
30may be used to satisfy a professional educator's continuing

1professional education requirement under section 1205.2.

2(3) May provide youth suicide awareness and prevention 
3education to other staff, including contractors and nonteaching 
4staff.

5(4) Shall incorporate youth suicide awareness and prevention
6education that is based on the policy and is age appropriate
7into the curriculum. A school entity may utilize the youth
8suicide awareness and prevention education, materials and
9resources from a list of approved resources maintained by the
10Department of Education.

11(c) The Department of Education shall maintain a list of
12approved resources and training materials and age-appropriate
13youth suicide awareness and prevention education, materials and
14resources as provided in subsection (b) on its publicly
15accessible Internet website. The Department of Education shall
16work in conjunction with a youth suicide prevention organization
17operating in this Commonwealth to determine which materials and
18resources are most appropriate.

19(d) For purposes of this section, the following words and
20phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection
21unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

22"Chief school administrator." The superintendent of a public
23school district, superintendent of an area vocational-technical
24school, executive director of an intermediate unit or chief
25executive officer of a charter school.

26"School entity." A school district, joint school district,
27charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school,
28intermediate unit or area vocational-technical school.

<-29Section 1526. Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention.--(a)
30A school entity may adopt a youth suicide awareness and

1prevention policy, which may, but shall not be required to, be
2based upon the model policy developed by the department under
3subsection (d)(1). A school entity that adopts a youth suicide
4awareness and prevention policy shall distribute the policy to
5all school entity employes and independent contractors and to
6the parent or legal guardian of each student enrolled in the
7school entity and shall post the policy on the school entity's
8publicly accessible Internet website.

9(b) A school entity may develop an age-appropriate youth
10suicide awareness and prevention education program and may
11incorporate the program into the school entity's existing
12curriculum for students in grade six through grade twelve. In
13developing the program, the school entity may use the model
14curriculum developed by the department under subsection (d)(2).

15(c) (1) Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, the
16professional development plan submitted by each school entity to
17the secretary for approval pursuant to section 1205.1 shall
18include four (4) hours of training in youth suicide awareness
19and prevention every five (5) years for professional educators
20assigned to provide instruction to students in grade six, seven,
21eight, nine, ten, eleven or twelve. Training under this
22subsection may be used to satisfy a professional educator's
23continuing professional education requirement under section
241205.2.

25(2) A school entity that offers its students a youth suicide
26awareness and prevention education program under subsection (b)
27shall ensure that the professional development plan submitted
28under paragraph (1) includes training in the school entity's
29youth suicide awareness and prevention education program.

30(3) A school entity may provide youth suicide awareness and

1prevention education to its other employes and independent
2contractors, in addition to its professional employes.

3(d) Within one hundred eighty (180) days of the effective
4date of this section, the department, in consultation with a
5youth suicide prevention organization operating in this
6Commonwealth, shall do all of the following:

7(1) Develop a model youth suicide awareness and prevention
8policy and post the model policy on its publicly accessible
9Internet website. The model policy shall include the following:

10(i) A protocol for administering youth suicide awareness and
11prevention education to staff and students.

12(ii) A protocol that identifies:

13(A) Methods of prevention, including procedures for early
14identification and referral of students at risk of suicide.

15(B) Methods of intervention, including procedures that
16address an emotional or mental health safety plan for students
17identified as being at increased risk of suicide.

18(C) Methods of responding to a suicide or suicide attempt by
19a student or employe of the school entity.

20(D) Reporting procedures.

21(E) Recommended resources on youth suicide and youth suicide
22awareness and prevention programs, including contact information
23for such programs.

24(2) Develop a model youth suicide awareness and prevention
25curriculum and make the model curriculum available to all school
26entities and, upon request, to nonpublic schools.

27(3) Compile, develop and post on its publicly accessible
28Internet website recommended guidelines and educational
29materials for the training required under subsection (c), which
30may include materials which are already publicly available. In

1providing the training required under subsection (c), a school
2entity shall not be required to use the guidelines and materials
3developed and made available by the department.

4(e) (1) The State board shall conduct a study regarding the
5manner in which youth suicide awareness and prevention education
6is offered by school entities in this Commonwealth.

7(2) In developing the study required under this subsection,
8the State board shall consult with a youth suicide prevention
9organization operating in this Commonwealth.

10(3) In conducting the study required under this subsection,
11the State board shall request that each school entity provide
12the State board with information concerning whether the school
13entity offers such instruction and the manner in which such
14instruction is offered. Each school entity shall provide the
15information to the State board in response to a request under
16this paragraph.

17(4) Following the 2016-2017 school year, but not later than
18November 30, 2017, the State board shall issue a report to the
19Governor, the secretary, the chairman and minority chairman of
20the Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and
21minority chairman of the Education Committee of the House of
22Representatives addressing the following:

23(i) The number of school entities adopting a youth suicide
24awareness and prevention policy.

25(ii) The number of school entities adopting the model youth
26suicide awareness and prevention policy developed by the
27department under subsection (d)(1).

28(iii) The number of school entities offering instruction in
29youth suicide awareness and prevention.

30(iv) The number of school entities using the model youth

1suicide awareness and prevention curriculum developed and made
2available by the department pursuant to subsection (d)(2).

3(v) The number of school entities using the recommended
4guidelines and educational materials compiled and developed by
5the department under subsection (d)(3) for the training required
6under subsection (c).

7(vi) A description of the manner in which school entities
8are offering instruction in youth suicide awareness and
9prevention, including the number of hours of instruction
10offered, the grade levels at which such instruction is offered
11and the courses within which such instruction is integrated.

12(vii) Recommendations for improvements to the offering of
13instruction in youth suicide awareness and prevention, including
14recommended legislation.

15(f) For purposes of this section, the following words and
16phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection
17unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

18"Department." The Department of Education of the
19Commonwealth.

20"Nonpublic school." A nonprofit school, other than a school
21entity, wherein a resident of this Commonwealth may legally
22fulfill the compulsory school attendance requirements of this
23act and which meets the requirements of Title VI of the Civil
24Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241).

25"Professional educator." The term shall have the meaning
26given to it in section 1205.2(o).

27"School entity." A school district, joint school district,
28charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school,
29intermediate unit or area vocational-technical school.

30"Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.

1"State board." The State Board of Education.

2Section 1527. Child Exploitation Awareness Education.--(a)
3Each school entity may develop an age-appropriate child
4exploitation awareness education program and may incorporate the
5program into the school entity's existing curriculum for
6students in kindergarten through grade eight. In developing the
7program, the school entity may use the model guidelines and
8educational materials made available by the department pursuant
9to subsection (c)(1) and (2).

10(b) (1) Beginning with the 2015-2016 school year, the
11professional development plan submitted by each school entity to
12the secretary for approval pursuant to section 1205.1 shall
13include four (4) hours of training in child exploitation
14awareness every five (5) years for professional educators
15assigned to provide instruction to students in kindergarten or
16in grade one, two, three, four, five, six, seven or eight.
17Training under this subsection may be used to satisfy a
18professional educator's continuing professional education
19requirement under section 1205.2.

20(2) A school entity that incorporates child exploitation
21awareness education into its curriculum under subsection (a)
22shall ensure that the professional development plan submitted
23under paragraph (1) includes training in the school entity's
24child exploitation awareness education program.

25(3) A school entity may provide child exploitation awareness
26training to its other employes and independent contractors, in
27addition to its professional employes.

28(c) Within one hundred eighty (180) days of the effective
29date of this section, the department, through its Office for
30Safe Schools and in consultation with at least one organization

1addressing child exploitation, shall do all of the following:

2(1) Develop and post on its publicly accessible Internet
3website model guidelines that school entities may use in
4developing an education program under subsection (a).

5(2) Compile or develop age-appropriate educational materials
6regarding child exploitation awareness, which may include
7educational materials that are already publicly available, and
8make the materials available to school entities and, upon
9request, to nonpublic schools.

10(3) Compile, develop and post on its publicly accessible
11Internet website recommended guidelines and educational
12materials for the training required under subsection (b), which
13may include materials which are already publicly available. In
14providing the training required under subsection (b), a school
15entity shall not be required to use the guidelines and materials
16developed and made available by the department.

17(d) (1) The State board shall conduct a study regarding the
18manner in which instruction in child exploitation awareness is
19offered by school entities in this Commonwealth.

20(2) In developing the study required under this subsection,
21the State board shall consult with at least one organization
22addressing child exploitation.

23(3) In conducting the study required under this subsection,
24the State board shall request that each school entity provide
25the State board with information concerning whether the school
26entity offers such instruction and the manner in which such
27instruction is offered. Each school entity shall provide the
28information to the State board in response to a request under
29this paragraph.

30(4) Following the 2016-2017 school year, but not later than

1November 30, 2017, the State board shall issue a report to the
2Governor, the secretary, the chairman and minority chairman of
3the Education Committee of the Senate and the chairman and
4minority chairman of the Education Committee of the House of
5Representatives addressing the following:

6(i) The number of school entities offering instruction in
7child exploitation awareness.

8(ii) The number of school entities using the model
9guidelines and educational materials made available by the
10department pursuant to subsection (c)(1) and (2).

11(iii) The number of school entities using the recommended
12guidelines and educational materials compiled and developed by
13the department under subsection (c)(3) for the training required
14under subsection (b).

15(iv) A description of the manner in which school entities
16are offering instruction in child exploitation awareness,
17including the number of hours of instruction offered, the grade
18levels at which such instruction is offered and the courses
19within which such instruction is integrated.

20(v) Recommendations for improvements to the offering of
21instruction in child exploitation awareness, including
22recommended legislation.

23(e) For purposes of this section, the following words and
24phrases shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection
25unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:

26"Child exploitation." The term includes child abduction and
27sexual abuse or exploitation.

28"Child exploitation awareness education." The term may
29include, but need not be limited to, defining child
30exploitation, recognizing the types of child exploitation,

1creating awareness of warning signs of child exploitation and
2providing students with avoidance strategies.

3"Department." The Department of Education of the
4Commonwealth.

5"Nonpublic school." A nonprofit school, other than a school
6entity, wherein a resident of this Commonwealth may legally
7fulfill the compulsory school attendance requirements of this
8act and which meets the requirements of Title VI of the Civil
9Rights Act of 1964 (Public Law 88-352, 78 Stat. 241).

10"School entity." A school district, joint school district,
11charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school or
12intermediate unit.

13"Secretary." The Secretary of Education of the Commonwealth.

14"Sexual abuse or exploitation." The term shall have the
15meaning given to it under 23 Pa.C.S. § 6303 (relating to
16definitions).

17"State board." The State Board of Education.

18Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014, or
19immediately, whichever is later.