Legislature(2025 - 2026)DAVIS 106
03/14/2025 08:00 AM House EDUCATION
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB105 | |
| Presentation(s): Statewide and Standardized Assessment Tools | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| *+ | HB 105 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HB 105-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
8:04:15 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that the first order of business would
be HOUSE BILL NO. 105, "An Act relating to mental health
education."
8:05:02 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ALYSE GALVIN, Alaska State Legislature, as prime
sponsor, presented HB 105. She began by reading the sponsor
statement for HB 105 [included in the committee packet] which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
Sponsor Statement: House Bill 105
Mental Health Education
HB 105 represents a significant effort to address the
mental health challenges facing our youth. This
legislation recognizes that mental health education is
a vital component of a comprehensive K-12 curriculum
and aims to ensure it is treated with the same level
of importance as physical health education.
To achieve this, the bill directs the Board of
Education & Early Development to work alongside the
Department of Health, the Department of Family and
Community Services, regional tribal health
organizations, and both national and state mental
health experts. This collaborative effort will ensure
that mental health instruction is developed with input
from a broad range of professionals, leading to a
well-rounded and effective curriculum.
Acknowledging the essential role of parents in their
children's education, HB 105 includes a provision
requiring schools to notify parents or guardians at
least two weeks before introducing any mental health
instruction. This measure promotes transparency,
strengthens trust between schools and families, and
encourages parental involvement in their child's
learning experience.
By revising existing health education laws, this bill
guarantees that mental health receives the same
priority as physical health in Alaska's K-12 education
system. The Board of Education will be responsible
for creating clear, age-appropriate guidelines to
integrate mental health instruction effectively into
classrooms.
To maintain oversight and accountability, HB 105
requires the Board of Education to submit a report to
the Legislature within two years of the law's
enactment. This report will outline the established
mental health education guidelines and detail the
process used in their development, ensuring lawmakers
stay informed on its progress and implementation.
The bill also allows for a two-year transition period,
providing sufficient time for careful planning,
stakeholder input, and curriculum preparation before
mental health instruction is fully implemented in
schools.
HB 105 is a proactive measure designed to equip
Alaska's students with the knowledge and resources
they need to understand and manage their mental well-
being. By fostering collaboration among education and
health professionals, this legislation lays the
foundation for a healthier, more resilient generation.
I encourage my colleagues to support this critical
initiative.
8:09:14 AM
DAVID JIANG, Staff, Representative Alyse Galvin, Alaska State
Legislature, on behalf of Representative Alyse Galvin, prime
sponsor, read the sectional analysis and gave a PowerPoint
presentation to HB 105. He began by reading the sectional
analysis for HB 105 [included in the committee packet] which
read as follows [original punctuation provided]:
HB 105: Mental Health Education
Sectional Analysis Version A
Section 1- Adds a new section to 14.03.016(a)
Legislative Intent: It is the intent of the
legislature that the board of Education and Early
Development develop guidelines for instruction in
mental health in consultation with the Department of
Health, the Department of Family and community
Services, regional tribal health organizations, and
representatives of national and state mental health
organizations.
Section 2- Adds a new subsection to 14.03.016(a)- A
parent's right to direct the education of the parent's
child.
(7) Provides for notification of parents or guardians
no less than two weeks before a class or program may
provide mental health instruction a child.
Section 3- Amends AS 14.30.360(a) Health education
curriculum; physical activity guidelines. Amended to
add mental health to the K-12 Health education
curriculum, putting mental and physical health equal
weight.
Section 4- Amends AS 14.30.360(b)- Health education
curriculum; physical activity guidelines. Amended to
include board establishment of guidelines for
developmentally appropriate instruction in mental
health. In developing these developmentally
appropriate guidelines the state board shall consult
with the Department of Health (DoH), the Department of
Family and Community Services (DFCS), regional tribal
health organizations, and national and state mental
health organizations.
Section 5- Adds a new section to AS 14.30.360(b),
Report to the Legislature: Two years after the
effective date of this Act, the state Board of
Education and Early Development shall submit a report
to the Senate and House and notify the legislature
that the report is available. The report must
(1) include a copy of the guidelines for
developmentally appropriate instruction in mental
health developed by the Board as required under
AS 14.30.360(b), as amended by sec. 4 of this
Act; and
(2) describe the process the Board used to
develop the guidelines. Section 6- Adds a new
section to AS 14.30.360(b) Transition: The state
Board of Education and Early Development shall
develop the mental health guidelines required by
AS 14.30.360(b), as amended by sec. 4 of this
Act, within two years after the effective date of
this Act
8:12:37 AM
MR. JIANG began the PowerPoint presentation for HB 105 on slide
1, which described the legislative intent of HB 105 and moved to
slide 2, which displayed a graph that highlighted the higher-
than-average suicide rates among Alaska's youth. He continued
to slide 3, which displayed a map of the United States that
highlighted specific states which have already adopted any type
of mental health education curriculum. He moved to slide 4,
which explained how HB 105 would allow school districts to
implement programs unique to their own district under the
guidelines established by the proposed legislation. He
concluded the presentation on slide 5, which emphasized HB 105's
goals to synthesize mental health and well-being in Alaska's
youth as well as reduce the shame surrounding mental health
conversations.
8:19:27 AM
JASON LESSARD, Former Board Member, Alaskan Psychiatric
Institute, gave invited testimony on HB 105. He emphasized that
"mental health is health" and the fact that 75 percent of all
lifetime-persisting mental health conditions begin by age 24.
He said that early intervention is key with regards to mental
healthcare and explained that the aim of HB 105 is to help
schools and school districts have more direction in both the
destigmatizing of conversations surrounding mental health and
the delivery of mental health care. He emphasized that HB 105
would not mandate any of its proposed policies and said that HB
105 would only create a series of guidelines for school
districts to follow.
8:25:45 AM
JAMES BIELA, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, Alaska
Chapter, gave invited testimony on HB 105. He shared that many
students in Alaska are unable to seek health because they do not
understand how to seek or ask for help. He said that HB 105
would help to reduce stigma surrounding mental health and
emphasized that mental health is "central to students
wellbeing." He said that HB 105 would recognize the need for
parental involvement in the delivery of mental health care to
youth and said that education and awareness are vital in
addressing the mental health challenges that face Alaska's
youth.
8:30:36 AM
ANN RINGSTAD, Executive Director, NAMI Alaska, gave invited
testimony on HB 105. She said that one in six youth are
affected by a mental health condition, yet only half of them
receive any care for that condition. She said that 62.9 percent
of Alaskans who were affected by depression in the previous year
have not received care for their condition. She said that there
are often long delays in treatment for youth mental health
conditions, which can lead to a worsening of the condition and
further consequences, whether they be financial, legal, or
lethal. She said that the identification of mental health
conditions earlier in a person's life would equip them with
vital knowledge of their own mental health and allow them to
rise above their condition and triumph over their condition.
8:34:30 AM
REPRESENTATIVE UNDERWOOD asked Representative Galvin if she had
any data regarding the impacts of mental health curriculum.
REPRESENTATIVE GALVIN answered that the State of Washington has
a mental health curriculum that is often regarded as the "gold
standard" and explained that data is often varied in its
effects.
MR. JIANG added that he would follow up with more specific data
regarding the outcomes of mental health curriculum.
8:37:34 AM
REPRESENTATIVE ELAM asked how broad the proposed policies of HB
105 would be and asked what kind of privacy parameters would
surround any curriculum and mental health care being given. He
asked who would provide the specific mental health instruction
and asked what the proposed mental health curriculum might look
like.
REPRESENTATIVE GALVIN answered that the parameters of HB 105 do
not include "anyone diagnosing anyone" and said that the
proposed legislation's intent is to elevate the conversation of
mental health in an age appropriate way that would allow
parents, students, and school districts to have more options in
how they choose to address the mental health of youth. She
answered that the curriculums proposed by HB 105 would likely
fall under the teachings of a school district's health class.
8:44:13 AM
REPRESENTATIVE SCHWANKE asked if there is any idea of how many
school districts in Alaska that have already implemented mental
health curriculums similar to the one mentioned in HB 105.
REPRESENTATIVE GALVIN answered that school districts in
Anchorage, Fairbanks, and Juneau have implemented policies
similar to the ones proposed by HB 105.
MR. JIANG added that there are about 20 school districts in
Alaska that have already implemented mental health curriculums
and emphasized that HB 105 would simply give school districts
guidelines on how to create a mental health curriculum.
8:48:21 AM
CO-CHAIR HIMSCHOOT shared an anecdote of a school counselor in
her home school district that helped to intervene with a child
who was experiencing a mental health crisis and said that it is
"incredibly important to think of mental health and physical
health has the same thing." She asked if HB 105 would set any
specific guidelines of mental health instruction specific to
each level of education.
REPRESENTATIVE GALVIN replied that the proposed legislation does
not include any language regarding specific instruction
curriculums, rather it includes guiding language that explains
to school districts how they might establish a mental health
curriculum.
8:55:26 AM
CO-CHAIR STORY announced that HB 105 would be held over.