S 5944: Requires annual screenings for depression of students in grades seven through twelve; requires the department of education and the department of health to review data pertaining to the results of such screenings for local and statewide trends concerning teenage depression.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5944 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE March 4, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sens. GOUNARDES, ADDABBO -- read twice and ordered print- ed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Education AN ACT to amend the education law and the public health law, in relation to requiring annual screenings for depression of students in grades seven through twelve The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 905-a 2 to read as follows: 3 § 905-a. Screening examination for depression. 1. The director of 4 school health services of each school district in this state that is 5 required to provide school health services, or the health department or 6 agency otherwise responsible to provide such services, shall conduct 7 annual screening examinations for depression of all students in grades 8 seven through twelve. The screening shall be administered by a qualified 9 professional and shall consist of the Patient Health Questionnaire 2 or 10 an equivalent depression screening tool, as determined by the commis- 11 sioner, with the assistance of the commissioner of health. The screen- 12 ings shall be conducted in a manner that ensures the privacy of the 13 student during the screening process and the confidentiality of the 14 results consistent with state and federal laws applicable to the confi- 15 dentiality of student records. The department, with the assistance of 16 the department of health, shall establish standards on the procedures to 17 be implemented to conduct the screenings for depression and provide for 18 other screening tools, including, but not limited to, a screening tool 19 for anxiety, such as the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7 or an equivalent 20 anxiety screening tool, as determined by the commissioner, with the 21 assistance of the commissioner of health. 22 2. The positive results of any such screening examinations of students 23 for depression shall be in writing and the parent of, or person in 24 parental relation to, any child whose screening for depression detects a EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06585-01-5 
 S. 5944 2 1 suspected deviation from the recommended standard shall be advised of 2 such results by the school authorities within ninety days after such 3 detection of a suspected deviation is made. The school authorities shall 4 inform the parent, or person in parental relation, that the screening is 5 not a diagnosis and shall encourage the parent, or person in parental 6 relation, to share the results of the screening with the student's 7 primary care physician. 8 3. The school authorities shall forward data collected from screenings 9 administered pursuant to this section to the department and the depart- 10 ment of health, provided that any data forwarded shall be aggregated and 11 shall not contain any identifying or confidential information with 12 regard to any individual. Data collected by the departments pursuant to 13 this subdivision shall be used by the departments to identify statewide 14 trends concerning teenage depression and to develop school and community 15 based initiatives to address teenage depression. 16 4. As used in this section, "qualified professional" means a school 17 psychologist, school nurse, school counselor, student assistance coordi- 18 nator, school social worker, or physician. 19 § 2. Section 206 of the public health law is amended by adding a new 20 subdivision 32 to read as follows: 21 32. The commissioner shall assist the commissioner of education in 22 developing rules and regulations relating to the annual screening for 23 depression of students in grades seven through twelve, in accordance 24 with section nine hundred five-a of the education law. 25 § 3. This act shall take effect on the first of September next 26 succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.