A Message from the Massachusetts Coalition for Suicide Prevention The Time is Now to Act on MCSP Suicide Prevention Legislation With your support weve worked hard to promote suicide prevention legislation sponsored by State Representative Liz Malia. After a well-attended, successful hearing last Fall, weve followed up with key legislators and supporters in the State House. Now the timing is critical... Joint Rule 10 requires that all bills not acted on by March 19th be sent into study. (a polite way to say defeated). Help push our effort past the goal line by reaching out to the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Education and requesting that they grant House Bill 443 a favorable report before the deadline. Youve seen the recent tragic headlines about school aged suicides in Massachusetts. House Bill 443 - An Act Relative to Suicide Prevention in Schools seeks to address the critical need for suicide prevention training for school personnel. Suicide attempts and other instances of self-harm are critical threats facing school aged children in Massachusetts. A recent DPH report stated: 18% of high school students reported a self-inflicted injury that wasnt a suicide attempt; 13% of students seriously considered suicide; and, 7% made an attempt. Self-reports from middle-school students are equally startling and the percentages translate into more than 28,000 suicide attempts. School personnel spend more time with children than anyone besides their parents or guardians and should be trained to recognize the warning signs of suicide and to be prepared to approach, motivate and refer at-risk students. Making suicide training prioritized and available to teacher, counselors, administrators and other school personnel will improve their ability to help and can save young lives. What passage of the bill will mean: The bill mandates that the Massachusetts Department of Education adopt rules requiring school personnel to receive at least 2 hours of suicide awareness and prevention training per year. It calls on the Department of Public Health to develop a list of approved trainings. This will ensure that quality training is available but that school districts and administrators have the latitude to select programs that work best for them. How you can help: Reach out to the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Education State Representative Alice Peisch and State Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz. Request a prompt favorable report for H.443 - An Act Relative to Suicide Prevention in Schools. Emailing and calling by phone are equally effective. Feel free to use or adapt the script below: Representative Peisch can be reached at 617-722-2070 or at [email protected] Senator Chang-Diaz can be reached at 617-722-1673 or at [email protected] Dear Rep. Peisch/ Sen. Chang-Diaz, My name is _______________________ and I live in the town/city of _____________. Im calling to ask you to grant a favorable report to House Bill 443 An act relative to suicide prevention training in schools before the bill is sent to study by Joint Rule 10. This bill was filed by Representative Liz Malia and is intended to address the critical need for suicide prevention training for school personnel. School children today increasingly face pressures that heighten their risk for suicide and self-harm. We know that appropriately trained school personnel can often identify at-risk children and provide, or direct them to, resources that can save lives. This legislation directs the Department of Public Health and the Department of Education to work together to ensure that all public school personnel receive at least two hours of training in suicide awareness and prevention. In a typical year in Massachusetts, over 28,000 middle and high school students attempted suicide and over 52,000 seriously considered suicide. This legislation will help teachers and other personnel in public schools understand the risks and signs of self-harm among students. School personnel with this training have saved lives in the past. Making this training available across the state has the potential to protect many more students. Please act now to give House Bill 443 a favorable report. Thank you for your attention and assistance. If you have any questions about this bill or related legislative issues, please feel free to email Daniel Delaneyat ddelaney@delaneypolicygroup
Posted on: Sun, 16 Mar 2014 20:08:05 +0000
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