A 8339: Requires the state education department to develop a model mental health training program to serve as the mental health component of required school safety trainings as part of comprehensive district-wide safety plans developed by each district-wide school safety team.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 8339 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN ASSEMBLY May 13, 2025 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. GIBBS -- read once and referred to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to requiring the state education department to develop a model mental health training program to serve as the mental health component of required school safety trainings The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. Paragraph (h) of subdivision 2 of section 2801-a of the 2 education law, as amended by section 1 of part B of chapter 54 of the 3 laws of 2016, is amended to read as follows: 4 h. (i) policies and procedures for annual school safety training for 5 staff and students; provided that the district must certify to the 6 commissioner that all staff have undergone annual training on the emer- 7 gency response plan, and that the school safety training include compo- 8 nents on violence prevention and mental health, such training may be 9 implemented and conducted in conjunction with existing professional 10 development and training; provided however that new employees hired 11 after the start of the school year shall receive training within thirty 12 days of such hire or as part of a district's existing new hire training 13 program, whichever is sooner; 14 (ii) (1) the department shall develop a model mental health training 15 program to be provided either annually or as a comprehensive program 16 biennially with an internet-based refresher course on the off-years, for 17 all teachers, assistants, aides, substitutes, coaches, nurses, princi- 18 pals, assistant principals, district superintendents, counselors, admin- 19 istrators, technology staff, bus drivers, clerical workers, security 20 staff, custodians, food service, maintenance and other non-instructional 21 staff which shall include at a minimum, recognition of the warning signs 22 of mental health problems, balancing being a trusted adult providing a EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD11498-01-5 
 A. 8339 2 1 safe space to learn with being a mandated reporter, whom to turn to for 2 assistance, and how to access appropriate services; 3 (2) every district-wide school safety team shall adopt the model 4 mental health training program produced pursuant to this subparagraph or 5 a program which has been certified by the department as exceeding the 6 requirements of such model program to serve as the mental health compo- 7 nent of the school safety training as described in subparagraph (i) of 8 this paragraph; 9 (3) the department may modify the model mental health training program 10 produced pursuant to this subparagraph as it identifies additional 11 information and topics to be addressed as needed; 12 § 2. This act shall take effect on the first of July next succeeding 13 the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the 14 addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary 15 for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized 16 to be made and completed on or before such effective date.