Legislature(2021 - 2022)DAVIS 106
04/16/2021 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| Presentation: School District Perspectives & Updates; Looking Ahead by Fairbanks North Star Borough, Cordova City, & Alaska Gateway School Districts | |
| HB19 | |
| HB60 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 60 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| += | HB 19 | TELECONFERENCED | |
HB 60-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
9:25:56 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the final order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 60, "An Act relating to mental health
education." [The motion made on 3/31/21 to adopt the proposed
committee substitute (CS) for HB 60, Version 32-LS0261\B, Klein,
3/25/21, as a work draft was left pending with an objection.]
9:26:38 AM
SOPHIE JONAS, Staff, Representative Matt Claman, Alaska State
Legislature, presented HB 60 on behalf of Representative Claman,
prime sponsor. She clarified that the only thing the proposed
legislation would mandate would be that the Alaska State Board
of Education update guidelines to include instruction in mental
health. She explained that it would not mandate that school
districts adopt a specific curriculum, rather the guidelines
could be voluntarily incorporated.
9:27:19 AM
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS asked if the proposed legislation would
offer guidelines to teach students about mental health
situations and how they could seek help within the health
curriculum.
MS. JONAS confirmed that was correct.
9:27:53 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked how many districts already had
guidelines in place.
MS. JONAS replied that she did not know how many, but she would
find an answer to the question. She offered that by having
state-wide guidelines, schools could have a standardized format
to implement their own mental health curricula.
9:28:57 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY opened invited testimony on HB 60.
9:29:24 AM
JASON LESSARD, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental
Illness (NAMI) Anchorage, provided invited testimony on HB 60.
He stated his belief that mental health education is an
important and vital component to Alaska schools' curricula. He
stated his desire to dispel misunderstandings that he was
hearing from the proposed legislation's opposition. He argued
that there is no "indoctrination" or mandate implied by HB 60,
rather it is an update to [AS 14.30.360(a)], which reads, "Each
district in the state public school system shall be encouraged
to initiate and conduct a program in health education for
kindergarten through grade 12." He said that school districts
should operate in a safe and effective manner and opined that
not all programs that are brought into schools to talk about
this subject do this well. He said NAMI Anchorage would like to
have evidence-based programs and best practices involved to help
school districts.
MR. LESSARD mentioned a letter of opposition from the Alaska
Republicans of District 3 [included in the committee packet] and
referenced a line from paragraph 8 which read, "Whereas any
given district may pursue such standards through their local
school boards if they choose," with which he agreed. He
explained that the proposed legislation would not change that,
rather it helps to bring on programs that will work and be
effective. He offered an anecdote about a high school's
response to a suicide in Anchorage. He said the school rolled
out a program with good intentions but without involving best
practices. He stated that the program had adverse effects on
the students. He reiterated that the goal of the legislation
was to help districts with [these issues] in a safe and
effective way. He explained that there are experts involved and
school districts across the nation who have been working on
this. He emphasized that the intention is not to take away
school districts' decision whether to implement a mental health
program, rather to be sure that a program being brought on is
safe. He summarized his argument by stressing that the proposed
legislation is not a mandate and is not indoctrination; it is a
way to help schools help students. He noted crisis levels of
suicide in Alaska youth according to Youth Risk Behavior
Surveillance System (YRBSS) data from the Center for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC).
9:32:21 AM
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked Mr. Lessard to describe what the high
school in Anchorage did that adversely affected students.
MR. LESSARD replied that the school showed a "somewhat dated"
film that addressed suicide but did not facilitate a
conversation or add any opportunity for dialogue. He explained
that, although done with the best of intentions, this left many
students feeling worse. He shared that there was a survey
conducted by students at the school asking for other students'
thoughts, and over 100 students responded. He said that the
administration and students are now working together to bring
programming to the school. He stressed the desire to bring on
programs that are effective and evidence based.
CO-CHAIR DRUMMOND asked for a brief description of YRBS.
MR. LESSARD answered that the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS)
is conducted every other year. He said it asks students
questions related to topics such as substance abuse and mental
health. He commented that the numbers he uses deal with suicide
ideation and suicide attempts. He said that from 2017 to 2019
there had been a significant increase in every category
concerning suicide ideation and attempts.
9:34:52 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX referenced page one of the "2019 Alaska
Youth Risk Behavior Survey Highlights," [hard copy included in
included in committee packet]. He commented that the paper
indicated that about 20 percent of students had attempted
suicide. He asked if there had been follow up to verify the
number.
MR. LESSARD replied that he had not followed up on the reported
numbers. He explained that the state has been doing this survey
through the Department of Health and Social Services for some
time.
9:36:10 AM
EMMA KNAPP, Alumni, Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling
(MHATS), provided invited testimony in support of HB 60. She
recalled her experience with mental health issues, and the need
to address these issues with students. She told the committee
that three weeks ago, a former student of her high school
committed suicide. She explained that she knew the individual
personally and took a week off from school to grieve. She
stated that returning to school was a conscious decision she
made with the help of her parents, therapist, and school
counselor. She said the "dated film" that addressed suicide
triggered her emotions surrounding her friend's death and
triggered her previous suicidal ideations. She shared that she
is now part of an effort at her school to make its mental health
programs more accurate and comprehensive but argued that
responsibility of an accurate mental health curriculum should
not be put on students such as herself. She said if HB 60 were
in place, she would not have had to get involved during the time
she was grieving.
MS. KNAPP shared that two years ago she was "in a dark place,"
and suffered from depression and multiple panic attacks a week.
She said that at the time, she didn't know these were
"classifiable experiences." She said she was convinced that no
one else felt that way and believed she would feel that way for
the rest of her life. She explained that she didn't know that
she needed help, because mental health was not normalized in
schools. She shared that she went months without reaching out
for help. Once she got help, she said she still felt lost,
found herself contemplating suicide, and was afraid to tell her
therapist. She pointed out that all of this happened while she
had a good support system, and that her family had the financial
resources to get her help. She said she is "more than an
anecdote," and she referenced statistics relating to depression
in high school students. She argued that HB 60 would help
individuals such as herself.
9:40:03 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ZULKOSKY thanked Ms. Knapp for her testimony and
commended her poise and bravery.
9:40:36 AM
GEORGE RHYNEER JR, MD, provided invited testimony in support of
HB 60. He stated that adults deal with their mental health
every day, as do youth, but youth do not have experience [to
understand how to process their mental health] and frequently
have no help. He commented that it was encouraging to hear the
superintendents who spoke previously discuss concerns about the
mental health of their students, as that was not something
talked about in the past. He said this wasn't something that
required parental consent, as consent wasn't required for what
was being introduced [regarding health education] now.
DR RHYNEER opined that a current problem in the United States,
as exemplified by shootings and violence, is mental health. He
stated that 22 children are shot in America per day, and half of
the shootings are related to mental health issues. He urged the
committee members to support HB 60, stating that healthy young
individuals will become healthy adults.
9:42:51 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY opened public testimony on HB 60.
9:43:19 AM
KATIE BOTZ testified in support of HB 60. She stated that it is
important to address mental health for students, especially when
students have been suffering from social distancing and not
being able to be with their friends. She shared that she is a
school bus driver for the Juneau School District. She said
students don't know how to speak up about their issues and
problems, and many don't know that it is okay to ask for help.
She stated that one cannot have physical health without mental
health. She shared that she has major depressive disorder and
has struggled during the pandemic. She shared that it is
difficult to deal with depression and discussed the stigma of
mental health.
9:45:24 AM
PAMELA SAMASH testified on HB 60. She said it has been "quite a
journey listening to all these testimonies." She said she
initially called in to testify in opposition, citing government
overreach. After learning more, she stated, she now has
questions regarding the proposed curriculum. She explained that
while mental health is an issue, she has concerns about
government becoming involved in citizens' private lives. She
said she is on the fence regarding HB 60, but would like to see
amendments protecting families from government overreach. She
expressed concern about things being considered child abuse.
9:49:05 AM
KATHLEEN WEDEMEYER, Citizens Commission on Human Rights (CCHR),
Alaska and Washington Chapter, testified in opposition to HB 60
and requested amendments to the proposed legislation. She said
the intent to improve mental health education must be focused on
improving the health of youth and should be with the full
agreement of parents. She argued that there are several
problems with mental health education in schools. She said
mental health education is driven by providers who benefit from
screening, referrals, diagnosis, and treatment that has led to
roughly 7 million youth being on psychiatric drugs. She said
parents should have the right to say "no," if psychiatrists and
psychologists are using schools to test or assess students. She
said the only groups that benefit from such screenings are
psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry. She said suicide
should be seen as a behavior rather than a mental health
disorder. She said that the Alaska Statewide Suicide Prevention
Council recognizes this to be true. She asked that the proposed
legislation be amended to broaden the scope of the committee in
each district to include parents, healthcare professionals,
business leaders, and spiritual advisors. She said CCHR would
be happy to discuss the legislation and provide materials on its
points.
9:52:48 AM
APRIL ORTH testified in opposition to HB 60. She declared
herself a proponent for mental health, citing it as "amazing and
necessary in our families that need the services." However, she
said she is opposed to mental health education in school
districts. She argued that there are services that identify
young people who need help that keep parents involved. She said
mental health is a "whole family experience," and she expressed
concern that the proposed legislation would separate parents
from children. She also argued that mental health care in
school couldn't be covered by the Health Insurance Portability
and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA). She said the proposed
legislation was being sold with "emotional blackmail" which was
a form of "indoctrination."
9:56:35 AM
BARBARA TYNDALL testified in opposition to HB 60. She said she
agreed with the previous two testifiers' positions and argued
that "guidelines tend to become mandates down the line." She
referenced Representative Cronk's statement that one size does
not fit all because Alaska is a large and diverse state. She
pointed out her desire that parents be involved, and that this
should be a local, community, and family issue.
9:58:58 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY closed public testimony on HB 60.
9:59:21 AM
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK asked whether, under HB 60, the words
"physical health" would be removed from statute.
REPRESENTATIVE MATT CLAMAN, as prime sponsor, answered questions
about HB 60. He replied that the language was removed during
Legislative Legal Service's drafting of the proposed
legislation.
REPRESENTATIVE HOPKINS added that mental health was being added
to the definition of what would be taught in "health and
personal safety," which was previously described as "physical
health and personal safety."
REPRESENTATIVE CRONK clarified that "physical" health would be
removed from Section 2, subsection (a), and asked why that was.
CO-CHAIR STORY commented that it could be considered.
10:01:06 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX stated that he was struggling with the same
ideas expressed by some of the testifiers. He said that
addressing mental health in a public setting like schools opens
up problems. He said that using a top-down approach would not
work, and this required diversification.
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN replied that the proposed legislation is
not a mandate and has the goal of giving flexibility to local
communities. He commented that current guidelines from the
state leave room for districts to make their own policies, and
this would be no different. He explained that the purpose of
the proposed legislation is not to address what counselors may
or may not do to help students, rather it is to add a discussion
about mental health to health classes. He said this bill is not
an effort to solve mental health problems or a constrictive
approach.
10:04:56 AM
REPRESENTATIVE PRAX asked about broadening the stakeholder group
that creates the guidelines.
REPRESENTATIVE CLAMAN replied that the language of the proposed
CS for HB 60 was rewritten to be broad regarding who could
participate in crafting guidelines.
10:07:01 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that HB 60 was held over. [The
objection to the motion made on 3/31/21 to adopt the proposed
committee substitute (CS) for HB 60, Version 32-LS0261\B, Klein,
3/25/21, as a work draft was left pending.]
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| Topics & Questions.pdf |
HEDC 4/16/2021 8:00:00 AM |
|
| HB 60 Testimony - Received as of 4.8.2021.pdf |
HEDC 4/16/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 60 |
| HB 60 HEDC opposed 4.15.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/16/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 60 |
| HB60 HEDC support 4.15.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/16/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 60 |
| HB 19 Amendment B.1.pdf |
HEDC 4/16/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 19 |
| House Education Committee Presenters 4.16.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/16/2021 8:00:00 AM |
School District Updates |
| HB 60 Testimony Support 4.16.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/16/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 60 |
| HB 60 Testimony Opposed 4.16.21.pdf |
HEDC 4/16/2021 8:00:00 AM |
HB 60 |