NY State Senate Bill 2023-S2312

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

Introduced
- In Committee Assembly
- In Committee Senate
- On Floor Calendar Assembly
- On Floor Calendar Senate
- Passed Assembly
- Passed Senate
Delivered to Governor
Signed By Governor

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Actions

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	Assembly Actions - Lowercase Senate Actions - UPPERCASE
Jan 03, 2024	referred to education
Jan 19, 2023	referred to education

co-Sponsors

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A6825
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Education Law
Laws Affected:: Add §905-a, Ed L; amd §206, Pub Health L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S6091
2021-2022: S1006

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Summary

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.

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2312

SPONSOR: GOUNARDES
 
TITLE OF BILL:

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

 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

Establishes mental health screening services in schools.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 requires directors of school health services of each school
district to conduct annual screenings for depression of students in
grades seven through twelve. Parents shall be notified in writing of
suspected deviation from the recommended standard. Aggregate data from
the screenings shall be forwarded to the department of health to help
create initiatives to address depression.

Section 2 grants the commissioner of health regulatory authority.

Section 3 is the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, 20% of youth live
with a mental health condition. The Institute also found that half of
all lifetime cases of mental illness begin by the age of 14.  Children
suffering from mental illness, like depression, experience serious
changes in the way they typically learn, behave, or handle their
emotions. Studies have also shown children who suffer from depression or
anxiety experience social rejection in school, which can lead to aggres-
sive or antisocial behavior. Many children who battle depression even
turn to substance abuse to address the issues they face because of
untreated mental health conditions.

Currently, so many children lack access to vital mental health care due
to either financial barriers, limited health insurance coverage, and
lack of awareness. With so many barriers in place preventing children
from accessing necessary mental health treatment, it is important for
our state to take steps to breach these barriers by providing screenings
for depression in schools. Schools are a prime setting to conduct annual
mental health screenings for depression as they already provide other
health screenings such as vision and hearing exams. Creating a school-
based mental health initiative would assist parents in the early iden-
tification of depression. Early detection of these issues would allow
parents to seek treatment, which would help prevent significant mental
health problems from developing. By providing mental health screenings
in schools, New York will take a step in the right direction in the
fight against mental illness.

 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: S1006 - Referred to Education

2019-2020: S6091 - Referred to Education.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

To be determined.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the first of September next succeeding the
date on which it shall have become a law.

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2312
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 19, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by Sen. GOUNARDES -- read twice and ordered printed, 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:
 
   Section  1. The education law is amended by adding a new section 905-a
 to read as follows:
   § 905-A. SCREENING EXAMINATION FOR DEPRESSION.   1.  THE  DIRECTOR  OF
 SCHOOL  HEALTH  SERVICES  OF  EACH SCHOOL DISTRICT IN THIS STATE THAT IS
 REQUIRED TO PROVIDE SCHOOL HEALTH SERVICES, OR THE HEALTH DEPARTMENT  OR
 AGENCY  OTHERWISE  RESPONSIBLE  TO  PROVIDE SUCH SERVICES, SHALL CONDUCT
 ANNUAL SCREENING EXAMINATIONS FOR DEPRESSION OF ALL STUDENTS  IN  GRADES
 SEVEN THROUGH TWELVE. THE SCREENING SHALL BE ADMINISTERED BY A QUALIFIED
 PROFESSIONAL  AND SHALL CONSIST OF THE PATIENT HEALTH QUESTIONNAIRE 2 OR
 AN EQUIVALENT DEPRESSION SCREENING TOOL, AS DETERMINED  BY  THE  COMMIS-
 SIONER,  WITH  THE ASSISTANCE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH. THE SCREEN-
 INGS SHALL BE CONDUCTED IN A MANNER THAT  ENSURES  THE  PRIVACY  OF  THE
 STUDENT  DURING  THE  SCREENING  PROCESS  AND THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF THE
 RESULTS CONSISTENT WITH STATE AND FEDERAL LAWS APPLICABLE TO THE  CONFI-
 DENTIALITY  OF  STUDENT  RECORDS. THE DEPARTMENT, WITH THE ASSISTANCE OF
 THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, SHALL ESTABLISH STANDARDS ON THE PROCEDURES TO
 BE IMPLEMENTED TO CONDUCT THE SCREENINGS FOR DEPRESSION AND PROVIDE  FOR
 OTHER  SCREENING  TOOLS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, A SCREENING TOOL
 FOR ANXIETY, SUCH AS THE GENERALIZED ANXIETY DISORDER 7 OR AN EQUIVALENT
 ANXIETY SCREENING TOOL, AS DETERMINED  BY  THE  COMMISSIONER,  WITH  THE
 ASSISTANCE OF THE COMMISSIONER OF HEALTH.
   2. THE POSITIVE RESULTS OF ANY SUCH SCREENING EXAMINATIONS OF STUDENTS
 FOR  DEPRESSION  SHALL  BE  IN  WRITING  AND THE PARENT OF, OR PERSON IN
 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.
                                                            LBD06618-01-3

 S. 2312                             2
 
 SUSPECTED DEVIATION FROM THE RECOMMENDED STANDARD SHALL  BE  ADVISED  OF
 SUCH  RESULTS  BY  THE  SCHOOL AUTHORITIES WITHIN NINETY DAYS AFTER SUCH
 DETECTION OF A SUSPECTED DEVIATION IS MADE. THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES SHALL
 INFORM THE PARENT, OR PERSON IN PARENTAL RELATION, THAT THE SCREENING IS
 NOT  A  DIAGNOSIS  AND SHALL ENCOURAGE THE PARENT, OR PERSON IN PARENTAL
 RELATION, TO SHARE THE RESULTS  OF  THE  SCREENING  WITH  THE  STUDENT'S
 PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN.
   3. THE SCHOOL AUTHORITIES SHALL FORWARD DATA COLLECTED FROM SCREENINGS
 ADMINISTERED  PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION TO THE DEPARTMENT AND THE DEPART-
 MENT OF HEALTH, PROVIDED THAT ANY DATA FORWARDED SHALL BE AGGREGATED AND
 SHALL NOT CONTAIN  ANY  IDENTIFYING  OR  CONFIDENTIAL  INFORMATION  WITH
 REGARD TO ANY INDIVIDUAL.  DATA COLLECTED BY THE DEPARTMENTS PURSUANT TO
 THIS  SUBDIVISION SHALL BE USED BY THE DEPARTMENTS TO IDENTIFY STATEWIDE
 TRENDS CONCERNING TEENAGE DEPRESSION AND TO DEVELOP SCHOOL AND COMMUNITY
 BASED INITIATIVES TO ADDRESS TEENAGE DEPRESSION.
   4. AS USED IN THIS SECTION, "QUALIFIED PROFESSIONAL"  MEANS  A  SCHOOL
 PSYCHOLOGIST, SCHOOL NURSE, SCHOOL COUNSELOR, STUDENT ASSISTANCE COORDI-
 NATOR, SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER, OR PHYSICIAN.
   §  2.  Section 206 of the public health law is amended by adding a new
 subdivision 32 to read as follows:
   32. THE COMMISSIONER SHALL ASSIST THE  COMMISSIONER  OF  EDUCATION  IN
 DEVELOPING  RULES  AND  REGULATIONS RELATING TO THE ANNUAL SCREENING FOR
 DEPRESSION OF STUDENTS IN GRADES SEVEN  THROUGH  TWELVE,  IN  ACCORDANCE
 WITH SECTION NINE HUNDRED FIVE-A OF THE EDUCATION LAW.
   §  3.  This  act  shall  take  effect  on  the first of September next
 succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law.

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Senate Bill S2312

Sponsored By

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments

Senate Bill S2312

Share this bill

Sponsored By

Andrew Gounardes

Current Bill Status - In Senate Committee Education Committee

co-Sponsors

Joseph P. Addabbo Jr.

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Details

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Summary

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

2023-S2312 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

Comments