Gov. Jerry Brown Passes Suicide Bills
On Sept. 26, 2016, Gov. Jerry Brown approved Assembly Bill (AB) 2246, regarding student suicide prevention plans in California. The bill does not yet have specific policies or set lesson plans with which to educate the teachers; however, it does explain the general direction in which the state wants to go in order to help students’ mental health.
According to California Legislative Information, local educational agencies will not only be adopting a policy on suicide prevention, but also focusing more on high-risk groups. These groups include, but are not limited to, students with disabilities, mental illnesses and substance abuse disorders, along with homeless and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) youth and youth in foster care. This bill equips the teachers of seventh through 12th-grade students with the tools necessary for them to properly recognize and prevent suicidal thoughts and predictive behaviors. The bill officially takes full effect during the 2017-18 school year, although schools are currently beginning to incorporate it into their campuses.
Freshman Amanda Kalaydjian explained why she thinks this bill specifically works with seventh through 12th-grade students.
“[Starting] from the later half of middle school and all [throughout] high school, people really begin to discover themselves,” Kalaydjian said. “These teenagers are making more friends and becoming more comfortable with who they are, and at the same time, more stress and pressure are [being] placed on them.”
According to The Trevor Project, an American non-profit organization for suicide prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death in the age group 10 to 24 years old. In addition, the rate of suicide attempts for LGBT and questioning or queer youth is respectively four and two times more than heterosexual youth. The bill would focus on students of these grades because a person’s character and identity develop greatly during this period.
Safe Schools Counselor Christine Lopez discussed the benefits of having the teachers go through suicide prevention training, as it allows them to give the most accurate advice to help students with their problems.
“At Peninsula, we educate our teachers on a lot of [different aspects], so I think that overall everybody does a really great job,” Lopez said. “We already have policies [regarding suicidal matters] in place, [such as] if there is a student that discloses something or there is a safety concern, the staff [will] immediately contact the counselor or contact me as the Safe Schools Counselor.”
Lopez agrees that in order to be best prepared for future situations regarding suicidal students, it is best to be trained on how to handle the matter. Not all California schools currently have programs or the resources to help students with their problems. AB 2246 will now establish certain school policies to prevent suicidal actions and thoughts among teenagers through this new information.
“Our teachers have access to these students all day,” Lopez said. “[Any] conversation that a student has with a teacher [is important] because I think that students trust a lot of their teachers and they have really open relationships with them.”
