Legislature(2021 - 2022)ADAMS 519
03/17/2022 01:30 PM House FINANCE
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| Audio | Topic |
|---|---|
| Start | |
| HB60 | |
| Adjourn |
* first hearing in first committee of referral
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
+ teleconferenced
= bill was previously heard/scheduled
| += | HB 281 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 282 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | HB 60 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| += | SB 9 | TELECONFERENCED | |
| + | TELECONFERENCED | ||
| + | TELECONFERENCED |
HOUSE FINANCE COMMITTEE
March 17, 2022
1:34 p.m.
1:34:26 PM
CALL TO ORDER
Co-Chair Foster called the House Finance Committee meeting
to order at 1:34 p.m.
MEMBERS PRESENT
Representative Neal Foster, Co-Chair
Representative Kelly Merrick, Co-Chair (via teleconference)
Representative Dan Ortiz, Vice-Chair
Representative Ben Carpenter
Representative Bryce Edgmon
Representative DeLena Johnson
Representative Andy Josephson
Representative Bart LeBon
Representative Sara Rasmussen
Representative Steve Thompson
Representative Adam Wool
MEMBERS ABSENT
None
ALSO PRESENT
Representative Matt Claman, Sponsor; Emma Potter, Staff,
Representative Matt Claman.
PRESENT VIA TELECONFERENCE
Patty Owen, Alaska Public Health Association, Juneau; Doug
Koester, Self, Juneau; Kristina Wilson, Self, Wasilla;
Shoshana Kun, Self, Fairbanks; Desiree Asuluk, Self,
Toksook Bay; Lourdes Rivera, Self, Eagle River; Kathleen
Wedemeyer, Deputy Director Citizens Commission on Human
Rights, Seattle; Sycely Wheeles, Self, Anchorage; Rae
Romberg, Prevention Director, Alaska Network on Domestic
Violence and Sexual Assault, Department of Health and
Social Services; Johon Atkinson, Self, Metlakatla; Jennifer
Brown, Self, Utqiagvik; Lilly Chuckwuk, Self, Aleknagik;
Sharon Fishel, Education Specialist, Department of
Education and Early Development; Deborah Riddle, Operations
Manager, Innovation and Education Excellence Division,
Department of Education and Early Development.
SUMMARY
HB 60 PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION
HB 60 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
HB 281 APPROP: OPERATING BUDGET/LOANS/FUNDS
HB 281 was SCHEDULED but not HEARD.
HB 282 APPROP: MENTAL HEALTH BUDGET
HB 282 was SCHEDULED but not HEARD.
Co-Chair Foster reviewed the meeting agenda.
HOUSE BILL NO. 60
"An Act relating to mental health education."
1:35:32 PM
Co-Chair Foster listed individuals available for questions
if needed. He OPENED public testimony.
1:36:34 PM
PATTY OWEN, ALASKA PUBLIC HEALTH ASSOCIATION, JUNEAU (via
teleconference), spoke in strong support of the
legislation. The organization believed mental health
programming in schools was an essential part of a
comprehensive health education program in schools. The
organization supported requiring mental health education in
schools. She advocated for additional mental health support
such as increased mental health counselors.
Representative LeBon asked if additional training would be
required, and limited staff members would be allowed to
provide mental health services in schools. [Ms. Owen was no
longer available online. She called back in later in the
meeting and answered questions.]
1:38:50 PM
DOUG KOESTER, SELF, JUNEAU (via teleconference), shared
that he was calling on his own behalf and worked for
Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault (CDVSA). He
shared the numerous topics he had worked on with children
including sexual health education, violence prevention,
adolescent brain education and resiliency. He shared that
students had expressed a need to better understand mental
health. He was in strong support of the legislation. He
believed mental health was one of the cornerstones of being
human. He stated that adults did not remember what it was
like to have an adolescent brain. He equated an adolescent
brain to a Ferrari and stated that if a person did not know
how to use it, they could make mistakes. He explained that
mental health training enabled individuals to learn about
their bodies and brain. He thanked the committee.
Representative Edgmon stated that the science of
understanding mental health had grown over the years. He
asked why the subject was not considered an essential
criterion by the CDC [Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention] or other.
Mr. Koester answered that he believed knowing oneself was a
very important part of school. He understood there was a
lot of push back with social emotional learning; however,
he believed that understanding oneself and how to be honest
with yourself were included in the cornerstones of life
skills.
Representative Edgmon wondered why it was not part of a
curriculum or considered to be part of a comprehensive
healthcare package at the high schools.
Mr. Koester replied that he was not certain. He considered
that perhaps it was expected to be an undercurrent of all
teachings.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if the bill would give the option
for school districts to integrate mental health into their
curriculum. He asked if it would be a matter of adopting
curriculum and expecting staff to teach on it.
Alternatively, he wondered if it would require training and
extra certification to teach the subject.
1:44:13 PM
Mr. Koester answered that there would be guidelines that
empowered schools and districts that opted to use them. He
stated that the bill allowed for local control, similar to
the way sex education was taught. He stated it would be
tricky to think teachers would have to go through a whole
new understanding of how to teach. He believed there was
enough room in the bill to give districts and teachers the
opportunity to find curriculum. He would like to see
Alaska-based curriculum based on its specific needs. He
referenced the lack of daylight impacting mental health as
an example specific to Alaska.
Representative Carpenter asked about Mr. Koester's opinion
on the criticalness of mental health training. He
understood the topic was broad. He did not recall mental
health training curriculum or teaching when he had attended
high school. He did remember adults telling him that
getting to know oneself was important and it was a lifelong
objective. He stated that if adding the requirement in the
budget was critical, he wondered whether it meant the state
was saying there would be people growing up in Alaska who
would be unable to know themselves if the program was not
offered.
Mr. Koester responded that he believed school was only one
part about learning about oneself. He believed the most
important place for values and to learn about oneself was
in the family. He explained that ancestors, grandparents,
and parents all had the most important place. He remarked
that not all youth had perfect home with the opportunity to
learn about the topics. He believed it was important to
talk about the subject in schools as well to ensure there
was an awareness. He shared that many of the youths he
worked with were not aware of mental health issues. He
elaborated if more was known sooner it could potentially
impact the way people acted towards others with mental
health issues. He shared that he had worked in the mental
health field for 10 years in Alaska and it was a difficult
place. He stated it was a disease and something that people
needed to know about.
1:48:22 PM
KRISTINA WILSON, SELF, WASILLA (via teleconference), called
in support of the bill. She shared that she is an educator
and spent a lot of time on social emotional learning. She
highlighted that schools did not put emphasis on more than
basic feelings. She strove to get to know her students and
understood they sometimes needed more than a teacher. She
stated that students were exposed to suicide and
conversations more than adults realized. She stressed the
need for youth to be able to understand what they were
struggling with. She relayed that with the implementation
of a mental health structure in her curriculum she could
help students navigate to become the best learners and
provide the best environment for their learning.
Ms. Wilson implored committee members to look at the data
and make students and mental health conversations a
priority. She wanted to normalize the conversations. As a
parent she was asking the legislature to do more for
children. She shared that her daughter had attempted
suicide the past year. She elaborated that her daughter was
now advocating for others. She emphasized that if there had
been more support at school her daughter could have found
support sooner. She stressed that the state's schools had
the bare minimum when it came to mental health. She and her
daughter were lucky that her daughter's attempt had been
unsuccessful. She stated that children deserved more.
Representative LeBon thanked Ms. Wilson for her testimony.
He asked if it was her vision that the school health
teacher would receive additional training or certification
and perform the role. He asked if Ms. Wilson had another
vision.
Ms. Wilson answered that the curriculum could start in
health classes, but it was her vision for all teachers to
be able to have the conversations with students and to
normalize vocabulary and conversations.
Representative LeBon asked if it would require additional
certification for all faculty.
Ms. Wilson agreed. She believed it was worth the time. She
stated that as a teacher she would gladly give her time for
the training.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked what subject Ms. Wilson taught. He
thanked her for her service.
Ms. Wilson answered that she currently taught elementary
students. In the past she had taught behavior support,
middle school students and additional elementary grade
levels.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked about better integrating mental
health into the school system. He stated his understanding
that Ms. Wilson saw the effort starting from the beginning
with students entering kindergarten and in some ways being
exposed through books being read and discussions including
concepts of self-understanding and mental health.
1:53:22 PM
Ms. Wilson answered there already conversations that
involved social emotional learning covering how we feel,
what we feel, and what was happening inside of us. The
curriculum existed but it was bare bones. She confirmed
that starting at a young age was very important. She
believed they could improve curriculum through high school
to prepare students for any situation they may come across.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked what Ms. Wilson would say to the
concern it was another request or burden added to teachers.
He stated it seemed there were more and more requests of
teachers, often without support. He noted that the bill was
optional for districts to integrate mental health
curriculum.
Ms. Wilson agreed but remarked it was also possible to say
that adding a new curriculum was adding another thing. She
stated there would always something added and there would
always be opposition. She believed teachers would be
wholeheartedly in if it enabled teachers to be better
teachers, allowed classrooms to run more smoothly, and
enabled students to reach out. She stated there were ways
it could be incorporated on teacher time.
1:55:52 PM
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if Ms. Wilson saw HB 60 as a partial
pathway to arriving at the goal.
Ms. Wilson replied, "Absolutely."
Representative Rasmussen had heard from many teachers in
Anchorage School District that they were struggling. She
remarked it had been a tumultuous time for teachers during
the COVID-19 pandemic. She had a bit of a concern over
adding another requirement on teachers. She asked how much
time Ms. Wilson had to spend maintaining her teaching
certificate through state mandates. She wondered if there
were areas to scale back to offset the time.
Ms. Wilson replied there were ways to slim things down with
any type of professional development. She explained that
professional development days could be slimmed down to add
additional topics. She stated there were conversations
about repeated professional development that were no longer
necessary but mandated by the state. She believed some of
the training needed to be cleaned up to eliminate things
that were no longer relevant and include other items. She
believed that conversations between staff and teachers
about mental health would help teachers as well. She
underscored there was a huge benefit to students and staff.
Representative Rasmussen asked if it would be beneficial
for the bill to implement a taskforce or group to
collaborate with the Department of Education and Early
Development (DEED) and the Department of Health and Social
Services (DHSS) to engage behavioral health professionals
and educators from across the state to identify the best
curriculum moving forward. She thought the idea could put
more weight behind the legislation. She thought there could
be challenges with the bill's current form because it was
open to district choosing to opt in. She suggested it could
help implement what was needed in order to impact mental
health and suicide rates in Alaska.
Ms. Wilson agreed that a taskforce would be beneficial
because it could optimize people's time and information
that was put out. She explained there could be a focus on
good curriculum instead of trying multiple options that did
not work. She stated there could be conversations on what
was best from kindergarten through high school if people
with the knowledge educated others.
2:00:05 PM
Representative Carpenter stated he had a difficult time
understanding what a curriculum for mental health would be.
He wondered when mental health curriculum would be taught.
He asked what it would look like in an already busy
schedule for teachers. He wondered whether the district Ms.
Wilson worked for was currently prohibited from adding the
subject into its existing curriculum. He wondered if it
needed to be in state law.
Ms. Wilson replied that social emotional learning was
already added into a chunk of the day. She noted it was not
a majority of the day and did not replace anything. She
explained that the conversations could be added into
science, reading, social services, and anywhere. She agreed
that teachers did need support and needed legislation
passed in order for the issue to be taken seriously and to
set up a program for success.
Representative Carpenter stated that when children or
adults had physical health issues they were typically taken
to a physician and individuals with mental health issues
typically saw a mental health professional. He wondered
about the liability on teachers for teaching the subject or
giving mental health advice to students. He wondered if it
meant the parents would be involved in advice given or not.
He wondered what risk a teacher would face that should
perhaps be left to a mental health professional.
Ms. Wilson answered that she felt she picked up the risk
daily when teaching in general. She believed there could be
other conversations in addition to something that was
provided by a doctor. She explained conversations could
give people insight into mental health without needing a
doctor's permission. She clarified it did not take the
place of a parent or speak for parents. She explained it
was merely educating students, giving mental health a
voice. She explained that everything taught needed to be
prefaced with the fact that students would learn something
else at home and home was first, and teachers were just
giving additional information and resources.
Representative Carpenter thanked the testifier.
2:04:39 PM
Representative Edgmon believed the intent of the bill was
for the Board of Education to provide guidelines that
schools had the option to follow or not. He read from the
bill. He believed the committee did a great job at
quantifying cost and a lousy job measuring the benefit and
at knowing what actually happened when the dollars were
appropriated. He remarked that most of the committee
members had not grown up in the social media world. He
highlighted the strain social media put on kids. He asked
if it played a role in the acuteness of mental health
challenges in younger adults. He believed it did.
Ms. Wilson replied, "Absolutely, I believe it does." She
believed kids were being introduced to social media at
younger and younger ages and that they were being exposed
more than adults thought even with safeguards in place. She
stated that information was out there on platforms and via
word of mouth and on school computers. She believed better
conversations could be had the more teachers and students
were educated.
2:07:18 PM
Co-Chair Foster noted that Ms. Owen was back online.
Representative LeBon asked Ms. Owen if she had been
listening to the comments over the past ten minutes.
Ms. Owen confirmed that she had been listening to the
meeting.
Representative LeBon wondered if Ms. Owen had a vision of
how the mental health certification process for a K-12
instructor would work. For example, when he had been in
high school there had been a health education teacher, and
everyone had been required to take the class. He asked if
there should be trained and certified mental health
professional among the faculty members. Alternatively, he
wondered if it was broader and all teachers needed to be
certified in some fashion.
Ms. Owen clarified that the bill was not a mandate but
encouraged mental health education as part of comprehensive
health education. She elaborated that the bill addressed
grades K-12 and not high school curriculum only. She stated
that it depended school district by school district because
there were trained health education teachers in Alaska who
were well equipped to teach the subject. In other districts
a classroom teacher taught health education if required by
the district. In the latter cases, teacher training would
be important. She noted that the question would be better
directed to DEED.
2:09:47 PM
Representative Wool did not believe the bill created
professional counselors out of teachers and was not
mandating teachers to be therapists. He thought it was a
unit in a health class that would talk about mental health.
He remarked that the schools in his district were already
teaching the subject. He did not think the bill was
specifying there would be personal advice given to
individual students. He knew schools had counselors, but
likely not enough, and he thought they likely spent time
figuring out which classes students should be taking. He
shared that there had been a psychology class taught in his
high school, but the teacher had not been a professional
psychologist. He thought it the situation in the bill was
similar where a curriculum would teach students about
mental health and different issues that may arise.
Representative Wool thought social media was a major
problem that had been documented and studied. The other
problem was access to phones during school. He thought it
was an issue that needed to be addressed, but no one wanted
to touch the problem. He felt the committee conversation
was getting a bit broad for what the bill actually did. He
supported the legislation. He believed teachers giving
therapeutic advice to children was not what the bill was
about.
Representative Carpenter thought public testifiers were
well within their right to explain their vision of what
they wanted to see happen. He clarified that he was not
specifying anything about the bill, he had been responding
to the comments made by callers. He stated it was very
clear that one of the callers had stated they wanted to
have conversations with students all day long. He stated,
"If that's not counseling, I don't know what is."
2:13:12 PM
Representative Thompson thought the bill was piecemealing
school policy. He suggested perhaps the legislature should
work with the state school board in adopting curriculum
envisioned by the bill or with a taskforce. He thought the
professionals should let the legislature know what was
needed.
2:13:54 PM
SHOSHANA KUN, SELF, FAIRBANKS (via teleconference),
testified in strong support of the bill that would add
mental health to the education curriculum. She believed HB
60 aimed to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illness
and increase students' knowledge of mental health. She did
not believe the bill was an unfunded mandate. She explained
that the bill would implement guidelines empowering schools
and districts to choose to use them. She shared that her
daughter had attempted suicide a couple of years back and
she had not had the necessary resources at her school. She
believed a comprehensive K-12 curriculum that also tackled
mental health was key to improving the lives of youth in
Alaska. She highlighted the high rate of suicide in Alaska.
Representative LeBon thanked Ms. Kun for calling in.
2:15:49 PM
DESIREE ASULUK, SELF, TOKSOOK BAY (via teleconference),
spoke in support of the bill. She shared that she was
th
currently in 12 grade. She stated the importance of
education, early detection and intervention, and early
prevention efforts that were crucial to reducing
difficulties and deaths in cities and in rural areas where
mental health was extremely limited. She stated that the
bill may increase awareness and eliminate disabilities
caused by mental illness. She underscored that Alaska's
education system must develop a comprehensive mental health
curriculum. She stated that incorporating mental health
education and dispelling common misconceptions about mental
illness was critical and led to a reduction in the stigma
for those experiencing mental illness. She urged the
committee to pass the bill. She thanked the committee.
2:17:19 PM
LOURDES RIVERA, SELF, EAGLE RIVER (via teleconference),
spoke on behalf of her 18 year old son who was currently at
work. She shared that she is a retired Air Force officer
and had four children ranging from 18 to 35 years of age.
She detailed that all of her children had experienced
mental health crises, primarily as teenagers. She stated
that the pandemic had exacerbated the mental health issues
for teens. She strongly supported the bill. She emphasized
that the issues had plagued youth in Alaska for decades,
yet no one wanted to speak about the topic. She highlighted
news stories about young professional athletes having
mental breakdowns; however, the situation was happening
"right under our noses." She shared that her son who is an
honor student, Eagle Scout, community volunteer had
attempted suicide in November of 2021. She shared that
there had been no signs or symptoms. He was a highly
functioning autistic young man. She he read a statement by
her son that he had included in a college application:
I am thankful that I have had all of these
opportunities and this past year taught me the most
about resilience. During all of these accomplishments,
I was hiding a big secret that literally almost killed
me. I was silently suffering from severe depression,
which led to a suicide attempt, hospitalization, and
much needed treatment. I learned the importance of
treating my depression and asking for help.
I've experienced a state championship with my drill
team, I've Eagled, I've had my first date, and first
formal, recently turning 18. All of these things
happening after my suicide attempt. If you ask me what
I am most thankful for since the attempt I will tell
you I am thankful for every conversation, Colonel
Brokaw [JROTC instructor], my dogs, my siblings, and
the warm welcome I received from my classmates when I
returned.
Ms. Rivera relayed that within the past couple of weeks the
Eagle River High School varsity basketball coach had
committed suicide. She shared that when her son had
attempted suicide, there had been 100 other students in the
ROTC program and Colonel Brokaw and counselors had been
heavily involved in making sure the other students received
appropriate counseling. She relayed that the basketball
team had received strong community support in recent weeks.
She believed teachers were already doing some of what the
bill talked about in some ways to help reduce the stigma.
Ms. Rivera relayed that after investigating a bit, she had
discovered her son had told more than a dozen students how
he was feeling. She elaborated that if any of the students
had informed a teacher or if they had known as parents [it
would have made a difference]. She stressed there had been
no signs to indicate her son was depressed. She explained
that [it could have been different] if students had known
to understand warning signs and that it was okay to tell a
trusted adult, teacher, or counselor if another student
confided in them. She reiterated that there had been
silence in her son's situation and it had almost killed
him. She did not think there needed to be a complicated
curriculum. She spoke to the importance of introducing and
dispelling misconceptions about mental illness. She
emphasized that students now welcomed her son. She detailed
that people were talking about the topic. She stated
unfortunately the high school had more to deal with most
recently with the suicide of the high school teacher. She
explained there was something in place, but it was
important to create something for everyone across the board
that would allow districts to opt in, reduce the stigma,
and common misconceptions. She added that her son had been
under psychological care for years and even the
psychologist had voiced they could not believe the
situation happened. She stressed the importance of early
intervention that saved lives.
2:24:52 PM
KATHLEEN WEDEMEYER, DEPUTY DIRECTOR CITIZENS COMMISSION ON
HUMAN RIGHTS, SEATTLE (via teleconference), expressed
empathy for previous callers. She stated the organization
believed any mental health education must be focused on
overall improvement of health and needed to be in full
agreement and involvement of the parents. The organization
believed that as written, the bill left the state open to
mental health education that could turn Alaska's schools
into marketing agents for psychiatric diagnosis labeling
and treatment with mind altering drugs.
Ms. Wedemeyer highlighted that the organization had
identified four areas it believed the bill could be
improved. First, insert a provision to allow parents to opt
out of mental health education. Second, broaden the
participants to include other non-psychiatric healthcare
professionals including parents, members of the statewide
suicide prevention council, spiritual advisors and leaders,
business leaders with emphasis on dealing with youth via
non-drug, non-coercive approaches in order to provide a
holistic approach to mental health education for youth.
Third, incorporate language to prevent the bill from being
or becoming a screening referral diagnosing and treatment
[poor audio quality]. Fourth, align the bill with the State
of Alaska suicide prevention plan about creating health and
wellness.
Ms. Wedemeyer relayed that the organization would support
any curriculum emphasizing suicide prevention and wellness.
She referenced the infective nature of psychiatric
diagnoses. She quoted from the psychiatrist and former
Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) chair Allen
Frances:
Psychiatry, unlike other fields of medicine is based
on a highly subjective diagnostic system. There are no
objective tests in psychiatry. No X-ray, laboratory,
or exam finding that says definitively that someone
does or does not have a mental disorder. There is no
definition of a mental disorder, I mean you just can't
define it.
Ms. Wedemeyer read from prepared remarks:
Today in the U.S. alone we have over six million
youths from the age of zero to 17 on powerful
psychiatric drugs. The main issue of education in
schools should focus on health [inaudible] and
returning individuals to health after emotional
crises. Issues youths face are real and varied and are
not just mental phenomena. These issues create
emotional crisis that parents, families, friends, and
communities must act to address. These issues are
outlined in the Alaska Youth Risk Behavior survey.
They include drug use, bullying, violence, low rates
of physical activity, poor diet, smoking, drinking,
and more. Additionally, parents must be allowed to
direct what their children are being taught in school
with regards to mental health. This is necessary with
the biased and consumer marketing driven nature of
current mental health education that will be provided
if HB 60 is not modified to give a balanced approach
of what people are experiencing with modern
psychiatry.
Ms. Wedemeyer asked the committee to amend the bill.
Co-Chair Foster requested Ms. Wedemeyer send the four
suggestions to the committee email.
2:29:49 PM
SYCELY WHEELES, SELF, ANCHORAGE (via teleconference),
shared that she is a junior in high school. She shared that
she had met with many representatives in the past week. She
spoke in support of the bill. She shared that one in four
adolescents experienced a mental illness. She had struggled
with anxiety most of her life and she had not known what
she was experiencing until diagnosed at age 13. She relayed
that the first and only lesson she had received on mental
th
health was a brief unit in her 8 grade health class. She
stated she had ironically missed most of the segment
because she had been getting support from her school
counselor for her mental health struggles. She elaborated
she had eight years of health classes and had only been
taught about her mental health once.
Ms. Wheeles stressed that mental health was a serious
public health issue and the pandemic had made the issue
more apparent. She stated that in 2019, 22 percent of
Alaska high school students planned a suicide attempt. She
highlighted national reports showed that symptoms of
anxiety and depression had doubled during the pandemic. She
relayed that in December 2021, the U.S. Surgeon General
declared a youth mental health crisis. The bill would
directly address the lack of mental health education in
Alaska's schools. Additionally, the bill would decrease the
stigma associated with mental illness. She urged the
committee to support the bill.
2:32:20 PM
RAE ROMBERG, PREVENTION DIRECTOR, ALASKA NETWORK ON
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE AND SEXUAL ASSAULT, DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
AND SOCIAL SERVICES (via teleconference), spoke in favor of
the legislation. She shared that she worked to prevent
domestic and sexual violence in Alaska and saw how
connected the issues were to mental health. She believed
mental health needed to be included in health curriculum to
help reduce rates of domestic and sexual violence and
suicide. She reasoned the bill seemed to allow the
flexibility for school districts to decide what made the
most sense for their schools. The bill allowed and
encouraged school districts to talk about mental health.
Teachers were dealing with mental health issues daily with
students and those issues interrupted students' ability to
participate and succeed in school.
Ms. Romberg stated that the bill could even do the simplest
thing by introducing terms and definitions - not
psychiatric terms and not promoting psychiatric meds
destigmatizing anxiety and stress and normalizing talking
about suicide. She believed the change could have an
incredible and positive impact on students. She remarked
that students were under an incredible amount of pressure.
She highlighted a YRBS survey showing that almost 20
percent of students had reported being electronically
bullied, 38 percent felt so sad and hopeless they stopped
doing some of their usual activities, and 25 percent
seriously considered attempting suicide. She stated that
mental health was already in schools. She believed it was
"our" responsibility to give students the language to
describe what they were dealing with, which could lead to
appropriate referrals and support. She discussed that
social and emotional regulation skills and positive self-
concepts and feeling valued were protective factors for
depression, suicide, substance abuse, violence, and unsafe
sexual activity. She noted the information was from the
work of Becky Judd in Alaska. She thanked the committee.
2:36:22 PM
JOHON ATKINSON, SELF, METLAKATLA (via teleconference),
testified in support of the legislation. He shared that he
had been a counselor for the past 10 years and had lived in
Metlakatla his entire life. He currently had two sons in
the middle and high school system. He had worked closely
with 12 to 13 schools throughout the state on wellness,
prevention, and respect. He had seen firsthand the
importance of investing the time and teaching focused on
mental health for Alaskan youth. He emphasized the positive
effects that learning about mental health had on student's
work and physically; healthy mental health went hand in
hand with both. He planned to continue work on prevention
in schools. It was clear that more efforts focused on
teaching mental health was needed in schools. He supported
the legislation. There had already been a need for the
topic prior to the pandemic. Since students had returned to
school, new needs were there. He spoke to the importance of
supporting the mental health of the state's young people.
Educating and talking to young people about mental health
strengthened and built a strong community of support.
2:40:52 PM
JENNIFER BROWN, SELF, UTQIAGVIK (via teleconference),
shared that she is a school counselor and member of the
National Association of Social Workers. She stressed that
the bill would help schools to open the door to talk about
mental health. She detailed that the school she worked at
talked about mental health consistently due to high rates
of suicide, depression, and anxiety. She emphasized that
the bill did not allow teachers or school counselors to
provide a diagnosis or prescribe medications. She
underscored that the bill opened the door for schools to
hear about mental health issues and address them when they
arise. She explained that the bill would provide students
with the opportunity to understand what was going on in
their minds and teachers the opportunity to learn about
different diagnoses and to notice things going on with
students. She explained that being able to talk about
mental health would destigmatize the issues. She elaborated
it would help students understand they could work to
address the problems they were facing. She urged the
committee to pass the bill that let schools have the
opportunity to talk about the issue.
2:43:30 PM
LILLY CHUCKWUK, SELF, ALEKNAGIK (via teleconference),
suggested instead of straining the teachers, she thought
someone could come in from mental health because she
thought they could better identify what to look for. She
shared that she had been in a shelter and could tell when
people were experiencing mental health issues. She shared
that it would be helpful to have the topic in jails and
shelters. She shared that a family member had been sexually
abused as a child, but she had not completely understood
until she had kids. She had learned two of her sons had
schizophrenia and they did not want to go to treatment
because of the stigma. She stated it was a good beginning
to talk about mental health in schools, but it should also
be expanded to shelters and jails.
Representative Edgmon thanked Ms. Chuckwuk for her
testimony.
Co-Chair Foster CLOSED public testimony.
2:46:47 PM
AT EASE
2:47:00 PM
RECONVENED
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked for a quick summary of what the bill
would and would not do.
EMMA POTTER, STAFF, REPRESENTATIVE MATT CLAMAN, answered
that the bill would amend the current health curriculum
guidelines by adding the words "mental health" to a list.
She pointed to page 1 of the bill that specified "the
program should include instruction in health and personal
safety including..." The words were followed by a list of
about 13 items instructed by the Board of Education and
Early Development for schools to adopt as part of their
health curriculum. The bill amended the list to include the
words "mental health."
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked about the intended impact of adding
the words.
Ms. Potter replied that the guidelines were to be developed
in consultation with DHSS, regional tribal health
organizations, and representatives of national and state
mental health organizations. Once the guidelines were
created, schools could adopt them as their own.
Vice-Chair Ortiz stated his understanding the curriculum
would be optional.
Ms. Potter agreed.
Vice-Chair Ortiz surmised that what happened when a
district chose to include mental health in its curriculum
was dependent on the district in terms of how the
curriculum was integrated into their particular educational
offerings.
Ms. Potter agreed and deferred to DEED for more detail.
2:49:56 PM
SHARON FISHEL, EDUCATION SPECIALIST, DEPARTMENT OF
EDUCATION AND EARLY DEVELOPMENT (via teleconference),
clarified that the bill would ask DEED to put together
guidelines/standards for schools to consider. The bill
would leave give local control to districts to decide
whether to adopt curriculum to go with the
standards/guidelines.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked for verification the bill pertained
to adopting guidelines that could be shaped into curriculum
within a given district.
Ms. Fishel agreed. She explained that just like there were
other standards for reading, math, social studies, and
science, the bill asked the department to develop
standards/guidelines for districts to opt to make a
selection for mental health.
Vice-Chair Ortiz asked if some districts throughout the
state already did that. He surmised the bill would provide
some guidelines if they were not readily available in
another area. He asked for confirmation that the bill did
not result in any other specific actions.
Ms. Fishel agreed.
DEBORAH RIDDLE, OPERATIONS MANAGER, INNOVATION AND
EDUCATION EXCELLENCE DIVISION, DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND
EARLY DEVELOPMENT (via teleconference), added that the
department was instructed to create standards for reading,
math, language arts, social studies, and science. She
shared that health standards were up for revision. She
stated that the bill would impact what the standards
revisions may look like in terms of mental health.
2:53:25 PM
Representative Carpenter asked if someone would be covering
the fiscal note during the meeting.
REPRESENTATIVE MATT CLAMAN, SPONSOR, did not believe the
committee reviewed the fiscal note during the previous
meeting. He thought it would be appropriate to review it.
Co-Chair Foster asked the department to review the fiscal
note.
Ms. Riddle relayed that the fiscal note addressed
stakeholder engagement in creating the standards. She
explained the typical standards revision process involved
reviewing existing standards and determining what needed to
be changed. The fiscal note asked to provide a stipend to
20 parents and qualified stakeholders in order to work on
the standards. The note also included a charge for
associated regulations. Additionally, there was transition
language providing the board with two years to develop
guidelines. She summarized that the fiscal note gathered
stakeholders and a facilitator and paid a stipend for those
selected to work on the topic.
Representative Carpenter asked what was currently stopping
the State Board of Education from creating
standards/guidelines without the legislature directing them
to do so. He asked if the board was prohibited from adding
the two words.
2:56:31 PM
Ms. Riddle responded that the health standards were on the
list for revision. She explained that the department was
waiting to see if there would be any significant changes to
what it had planned in order to do everything at once. She
stated that the funding in the fiscal note would cover the
mental health piece of the work.
Representative Carpenter stated his understanding that the
standards would be revised to include mental health
recommendations and what was really needed was additional
funding make it happen. He asked if the guidelines would
not be written if HB 60 was not approved or there was no
additional funding.
Ms. Riddle answered that the health standards would be
revised. She clarified that the fiscal note was to provide
additional support needed to add the mental health
component.
Representative Carpenter asked for verification that DEED
did not currently have the qualified or available personnel
to create the mental health standards.
Ms. Riddle answered that any time new standards were added
stakeholder engagement was used to ensure the department
was hearing all of the perspectives and that standards were
as complete as possible to make them relevant to Alaska.
Stakeholders would include mental health counselors and
other. She stated it took quite a long time to develop
standards and gather the needed stakeholder engagement to
make standards as relevant to the state as possible.
Representative Carpenter referenced that the fiscal note
included a $35,000 contract for a mental health expert to
facilitate the standards process and professional
development materials. He asked if the department could
create the standards without a mental health expert if the
bill did not pass.
Ms. Riddle answered it was important to have a mental
health expert for the mental health component. The
department did not have the staff and its staff was
overwhelmed. She elaborated that the department typically
hired an outside facilitator to guide it through standards
revisions. The facilitator would be specific to mental
health.
2:59:36 PM
Representative Edgmon asked if the last sentence in Section
2 of the bill was Bree's law [part of the Alaska Safe
Children's Act effective on June 30, 2017].
Ms. Fishel confirmed that the language "abuse, child
abduction, neglect, sexual abuse, and domestic violence" on
page 2, lines 1 and 2 was the Alaska Safe Children's Act
passed several years earlier to include Erin and Bree's
law.
Co-Chair Foster asked the bill sponsor if he had any
comments.
Representative Claman shared it was the first time he had
heard DEED had a plan to update the health standards soon.
He stated it sounded like the process involved stakeholder
engagement. He remarked it was unclear to him whether the
fiscal note in terms of gathering all of the people was
redundant to what the department would already be doing. He
asked if the department was going to be updating the
standards anyway, whether the bill's only fiscal impact
pertained to the hiring of the mental health expert. He
thought it sounded like there may be a bit of redundancy
going on. He thought perhaps the department could provide a
bit more clarity.
Representative Wool remarked that the department had
relayed a consultant would need to be hired to tailor the
standards to Alaska's specific needs. He thought in general
mental health needs were common across state borders. He
remarked that kids in other states also suffered from
depression, peer pressure, and suicide. He thought the
issues needed to be addressed and time was of the essence.
He hoped coordinators and authors of the programs
understood the need and that there was some universality to
mental health issues, the same as physical health issues.
He hoped schools could get the curriculum sooner rather
than later.
Representative Edgmon highlighted that Bree's law had
passed with widespread bipartisan support. He noted that
for individuals who had not supported the bill it had been
due to a fiscal cost. He characterized the current bill as
different in terms of the scale of potential change it
would bring. He noted that sometimes it was necessary to
pay for things to get something to happen.
Representative LeBon stated that one of the callers [during
public testimony] had suggested parents be given an option
to opt in or out. He asked how it would work practically
speaking with an addition to the health curriculum under
the titled mental health. He asked if the intention of the
bill would be for all students in a high school to be
introduced to the concept of good mental health. If so, he
asked how a family would opt their child out of the
program.
3:04:28 PM
Representative Claman answered there was currently
generally an option to opt out of health programs such as
high school sex education programs. He had always thought
it made a lot of sense for a family to have the choice to
opt out of a health program segment if they did not like
what was being taught about physical or mental health.
Whereas he thought an opt-in standard that would require
schools to send a request to the parents asking if they
wanted their child to participate in a program would create
a tremendous burden on school districts that did not make
sense. He thought if anything, there should only be an opt-
out option. He reiterated there were already opt-out
provisions for some or all of health curriculum currently,
which he believed would apply to the bill as well.
Representative LeBon asked if the mental health part of the
curriculum taught by a certified health instructor with
training and certification in mental health in a class
setting with an option to opt out.
Representative Claman answered in the affirmative. He
imagined that in elementary schools, mental health would be
a part of a health unit taught by the classroom teacher. He
believed it would be part of the curriculum in a high
school health class. He did not envision a separate class
for mental health.
Representative LeBon thought that under the model
previously described by Representative Claman, everyone
there would not be an option to opt out.
Representative Claman clarified it was his understanding
there would be the ability to opt out. He elaborated that
particularly with sex education, it had always been his
understanding there was the ability to opt out.
3:07:17 PM
Representative LeBon surmised that sex education was not
taught by all K-12 teachers. He thought it was likely
targeted at a specific grade level where the curriculum was
established, shared with parents, and parents could opt in
or out. He thought mental health would be different.
Representative Claman deferred to the department.
Vice-Chair Ortiz clarified that it had been his experience
as a past teacher that parents could opt out of sex
education. He noted some of the callers during public
testimony had identified their vision of integrating mental
health education throughout K-12. He did not believe the
bill would address it in either direction. He agreed that a
parent would not be able to opt out of the subject if it
was integrated in all classes.
Representative Claman agreed. He noted the bill would allow
guidelines for districts to choose their own path.
HB 60 was HEARD and HELD in committee for further
consideration.
Co-Chair Foster reviewed the schedule for the following
morning.
ADJOURNMENT
3:10:03 PM
The meeting was adjourned at 3:10 p.m.
| Document Name | Date/Time | Subjects |
|---|---|---|
| HB 60 Legal Memo 022322.pdf |
HFIN 3/17/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 60 |
| HB 60 Public Testimony Rec'd by 031722.pdf |
HFIN 3/17/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 60 |
| HB 60 Support Student Mental Health Eductation-KPBSD.pdf |
HFIN 3/17/2022 1:30:00 PM |
HB 60 |
| LFD Presentation- HFIN Spring Forecast, 3-17-22.pdf |
HFIN 3/17/2022 1:30:00 PM |