NY State Senate Bill 2023-S2354

Senate Bill S2354

2023-2024 Legislative Session

Relates to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to mental health issues and trauma informed care

download bill text pdf

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 20, 2023	referred to education

2023-S2354 (ACTIVE) - Details

See Assembly Version of this Bill:: A9692
Current Committee:: Senate Education
Law Section:: Mental Hygiene Law
Laws Affected:: Amd §7.23, Ment Hyg L; amd §3006-a, Ed L
Versions Introduced in Other Legislative Sessions:: 2019-2020: S8304
2021-2022: S3681

2023-S2354 (ACTIVE) - Summary

Relates to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to mental health issues and trauma informed care.

2023-S2354 (ACTIVE) - Sponsor Memo

                                 
BILL NUMBER: S2354

SPONSOR: FELDER
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the mental hygiene law and the education law, in
relation to mandatory continuing education for teachers relating to
mental health issues and trauma informed care

 
PURPOSE:

To include mental health and trauma informed care training in the manda-
tory continuing education for teachers.

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 amends the mental hygiene law by adding a new subdivision (d)
that requires the Commissioner of Mental Health, in consultation with
the commissioners of the Department of Health and the State Education
Department, to develop educational and program materials related to
mental health and trauma informed care, that will be offered as part of
the required continuing teacher and leader education requirements.

Section 2 amends paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of the
education law to require that 10 of the 100 hours of continuing teacher
and leader education that is needed in a 5-year period be related to
mental health and trauma informed care.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Nearly 35 million children have experienced at least one event that
could lead to childhood trauma. In addition, 72% of children in the US
will experience at least one traumatic event (e.g., witnessing or being
a victim of violence; experiencing sexual, physical, or emotional abuse;
suffering a serious injury or medical condition; death of a parent or
sibling) before the age of 18(1).

In addition, the Covid-19 pandemic has impacted children across the
country in ways that are yet to be discovered.

Evidence suggests that youth exposed to trauma will have few social
skills and be more likely to face rejection from their peers.  Students
who have experienced a traumatic event have an increased risk for
academic, social, and emotional problems as a result of these
experiences(2).

Schools are uniquely positioned to be an ideal setting to help students
who have experienced trauma by ensuring as long as educators have the
skills to address trauma-related psychological problems.  This bill will
help teachers receive training in mental health and specifically crisis
and emotional trauma.

Professionals from the Offices of Mental Health, NYS Department of
Health and State Education department will develop course
materials/curriculum specific to mental health and emotional trauma as
part of the required continuing teacher and leader education require-
ments.


This training will be a step to helping educators address the needs of
students who may be acting out or struggling due to traumatic events
beyond their control. In our modern world, these skills seem more impor-
tant than ever for teachers to acquire.

1:https://www.nasponline.oreresources-and-publications/resources-and-podc
a sts/school-climatesafety-and-crisis/mental-health-resources/trauma

2: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.govipmciarticles/PMC3287974/

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2020: S.8304

2021/2022: S.3681

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

TBD

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately

2023-S2354 (ACTIVE) - Bill Text download pdf

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   2354
 
                        2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                             I N  S E N A T E
 
                             January 20, 2023
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  FELDER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
   printed to be committed to the Committee on Education
 
 AN ACT to amend the  mental  hygiene  law  and  the  education  law,  in
   relation  to  mandatory  continuing education for teachers relating to
   mental health issues and trauma informed care

   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Section 7.23 of the mental hygiene law is amended by adding
 a new subdivision (d) to read as follows:
   (D)  THE  COMMISSIONER,  IN CONSULTATION WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
 AND THE COMMISSIONER OF  THE  DEPARTMENT  OF  EDUCATION,  SHALL  DEVELOP
 COURSE MATERIALS TO BE OFFERED AS PART OF THE REQUIRED CONTINUING TEACH-
 ER AND LEADER EDUCATION REQUIREMENTS PURSUANT TO PARAGRAPH A OF SUBDIVI-
 SION  TWO  OF  SECTION  THREE THOUSAND SIX-A OF THE EDUCATION LAW.  SUCH
 TRAINING SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   1. CONTINUING EDUCATION COURSES;
   2. PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO MENTAL HEALTH;
   3. TRAUMA INFORMED CARE, INTERVENTION AND PRACTICES;
   4. ADVERSE CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL LEARNING;
   5. BEHAVIORAL HEALTH DISORDERS;
   6. BEST PRACTICES FOR IMPROVING THE OVERALL LEARNING ENVIRONMENT;
   7. SAFE DE-ESCALATION OF CRISIS SITUATIONS;
   8. IDENTIFYING SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS, INCLUDING EARLY  STAGES  OF  MENTAL
 ILLNESS AND BEHAVIORAL HEALTH ISSUES; AND
   9.  THE  USE  OF  EVIDENCE  BASED TRAINING PROGRAMS INCLUDING, BUT NOT
 LIMITED TO, MENTAL HEALTH FIRST AID OR CORE ELEMENTS OF SUCH PROGRAMS TO
 THE EXTENT PRACTICABLE.
   § 2. Paragraph a of subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of  the  education
 law,  as added by section 2 of subpart C of part EE of chapter 56 of the
 laws of 2015, is amended to read as follows:

  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD03360-01-3
 S. 2354                             2

 
   a. During each five-year registration period  beginning  on  or  after
 July  first,  two  thousand sixteen, an applicant for registration shall
 successfully complete a minimum  of  one  hundred  hours  of  continuing
 teacher  and  leader  education,  as defined by the commissioner.   SUCH
 CONTINUING  TEACHER  AND  LEADER  EDUCATION  SHALL INCLUDE, AT LEAST TEN
 HOURS DURING THE FIVE-YEAR REGISTRATION PERIOD, BUT NOT  BE  LIMITED  TO
 CONTINUING  EDUCATION COURSES, PROGRAMS AND ACTIVITIES RELATED TO MENTAL
 ILLNESS AND TRAUMA INFORMED CARE PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION (D) OF  SECTION
 7.23  OF  THE  MENTAL  HYGIENE  LAW. The department shall issue rigorous
 standards for courses, programs, and activities[,] that shall qualify as
 continuing teacher and leader education pursuant to  this  section.  For
 purposes  of  this section, a peer review teacher, or a principal acting
 as an independent trained evaluator, conducting a classroom  observation
 as part of the teacher evaluation system pursuant to section three thou-
 sand  twelve-d  of  this article may credit such time towards his or her
 continuing teacher and leader effectiveness requirements.
   § 3. The commissioner of education is  authorized  to  promulgate  any
 rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of this act.
   §  4. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeed-
 ing the date on which it shall have become a law.  Effective immediately
 the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or  regulation  neces-
 sary  for  the  implementation  of  this  act  on its effective date are
 authorized to be made and completed on or before such date.

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