Highland, CA – Assemblymember James C. Ramos is pleased to announce that his bill AB 1767 which will expand school district suicide prevention policies that are age appropriate to kindergarten and grades 1 to 6 has been signed into law by the Governor.
“I’m incredibly proud that the Governor signed this bill to guide local education agencies to develop policies that protect high-risk students of all ages. As responsible adults, we must be sensitive to the difficulties young people face and provide assistance as they navigate adolescence. Offering age appropriate suicide prevention education is one of the ways we can connect the community and create a culture of positive mental health outcomes,” said Assemblymember Ramos.
AB 1767 will require schools to adopt a policy on suicide prevention for kindergarten and grades 1 to 6. The policy will be developed by school and community stakeholders, school-employed mental health professionals, the county mental health plan, and suicide prevention experts. Because of the wide range of ages represented, these policies are required to be age appropriate for each grade level of students. These policies will make sure there is proper coordination and consultation with existing county behavioral health agencies.
“We are grateful to Assemblymember Ramos for carrying this bill to ensure our youngest students can receive the early education and intervention they need to keep them safe and healthy. Studies show that younger and younger children are attempting death by suicide. This timely legislation will ensure that local education entities coordinate with their county mental health agencies to develop age-appropriate local suicide prevention policies and help to connect children with mental health services when needed.” said Michelle Doty Cabrera, CBHDA Executive Director.
The 40th Assembly District has had an unfortunate occurrence of suicide among its young residents. At the beginning of the 2018 school year 4 students died by suicide in the first two weeks of the school.
The bill goes into effect for the 2020-2021 school year.
On Wednesday, Assemblymember Ramos published an op-ed in the San Bernardino Sun in support of AB 1767 and AB 34 on social bullying, which can be read here.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 1-800-273-8255.
