HB-4375, As Passed House, March 29, 2006
(As amended March 28, 2006)
February 23, 2005, Introduced by Reps. Ward, Accavitti, Anderson, Sak, Ball, Sheltrown, Moore, Bieda, Espinoza, Green, Rocca, Stahl, Gleason, Kathleen Law, Hopgood, Condino and Leland and referred to the Committee on Education.
A bill to amend 1976 PA 451, entitled
"The revised school code,"
(MCL 380.1 to 380.1852) by adding section 1171.
THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:
Sec. 1171. (1) The board of a school district or board of
directors of a public school academy is encouraged to provide age-
appropriate instruction for pupils and professional development for
school personnel concerning the warning signs and risk factors for
suicide and depression [and the protective factors that help prevent
suicide]. The instruction and professional
development shall be designed to achieve the following goals:
(a) To prevent both fatal and nonfatal suicide behaviors among
youth.
(b) To increase pupil awareness of the warning signs and risk
House Bill No. 4375 as amended March 28, 2006
factors for suicide and depression.
(c) To improve access to appropriate prevention services for
vulnerable youth groups.
(2) The board of a school district or board of directors of a
public school academy is encouraged to work with school personnel
and local or state organizations and resources specializing in
suicide prevention and awareness.
(3) The department shall develop or select model programs and
materials on suicide prevention and awareness that are appropriate
for the purposes of this section[, such as the Michigan model for
comprehensive school health education,] and shall make those model
programs and materials available to school districts and public
school academies.
(4) If a school district or public school academy provides
instruction described in subsection (1), the board of the school
district or board of directors of the public school academy shall
notify the parents of [all pupils of each school in which the instruction
is provided] about the instruction
using the communication method the school district or public school
academy normally uses for regular communications with parents.
[(5) Failure of a school district or public school academy to comply with subsection (4) does not create a cause of action or constitute a breach of any legal duty in a civil action.]