02/24/2025 03:30 PM Senate EDUCATION

         SB  41-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION                                                                     
                                                                                                                                
4:19:46 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR   TOBIN   reconvened   the  meeting   and   announced   the                                                               
consideration of  SENATE BILL NO.  41 "An Act relating  to mental                                                               
health education."                                                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
4:20:02 PM                                                                                                                    
ELVI   GRAY-JACKSON,   Senator,    District   G,   Alaska   State                                                               
Legislature,  Juneau, Alaska,  sponsor  of SB  41 introduced  the                                                               
bill:                                                                                                                           
                                                                                                                                
     Mental  health is  an  essential  component of  overall                                                                    
     well-being, and it's time we  equip Alaska's youth with                                                                    
     the  tools they  need  to  navigate life's  challenges.                                                                    
     Senate Bill  41 is  a critical step  toward integrating                                                                    
     mental  health  education  into our  schools,  ensuring                                                                    
     that  students  develop  the knowledge  and  skills  to                                                                    
     recognize, address, and seek  support for mental health                                                                    
     concerns.      Educators,      parents,      healthcare                                                                    
     professionals, and  community leaders across  the state                                                                    
     have  voiced  strong   support  for  this  legislation,                                                                    
     recognizing the  urgent need to address  Alaska's youth                                                                    
     mental  health crisis,  with  suicide  rates among  our                                                                    
     young  people  remaining   alarmingly  high.  Providing                                                                    
     students with  age-appropriate mental  health education                                                                    
     will  reduce stigma,  promote  early intervention,  and                                                                    
     foster  resilience, key  factors  in preventing  crises                                                                    
     before  they escalate.  Again, Senate  Bill 41  follows                                                                    
     the  lead  of  other   states  that  have  successfully                                                                    
     implemented   mental  health   education  in   schools,                                                                    
     reinforcing that  mental health  well-being is  just as                                                                    
     important as  physical health. Therefore,  by equipping                                                                    
     students   with  coping   strategies   and  access   to                                                                    
     resources,  we can  create a  healthier, more  informed                                                                    
     generation that  is prepared for success  in and beyond                                                                    
     the classroom.                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
4:21:24 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR TOBIN opened public testimony on SB 41.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:21:48 PM                                                                                                                    
JONNI MYERS,  Vice-President, Kodiak College  Student Government,                                                               
Kodiak, Alaska,  testified in support  of SB 41. She  shared that                                                               
she experienced  the onset  of severe mental  illness at  age 12,                                                               
including volatile  mood swings  and hallucinations,  and neither                                                               
she nor her  young parents understood what was  happening. At age                                                               
14,  she asked  to see  a doctor  and was  diagnosed with  severe                                                               
bipolar  disorder  with  psychotic episodes.  She  described  the                                                               
stigma she faced in high  school, including students assuming she                                                               
was  on  drugs  or  asking for  her  prescribed  medication.  She                                                               
emphasized  that   mental  health   education  would   have  been                                                               
beneficial during her school years,  as there was none available,                                                               
and she had to explain her condition to peers on her own.                                                                       
                                                                                                                                
MS.  MYERS  noted  that  Kodiak   College,  where  she  currently                                                               
studies,  has   no  counselors,  and  students   are  working  to                                                               
coordinate  with   the  University  of  Alaska   Anchorage  (UAA)                                                               
psychology department  for support. She said  if college students                                                               
struggle  to access  mental health  resources,  the situation  is                                                               
likely worse  for younger students.  She stressed  the importance                                                               
of providing  mental health  education from  kindergarten through                                                               
12th  grade to  reduce stigma  and help  children understand  and                                                               
accept their conditions.                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:25:04 PM                                                                                                                    
KATHLEEN  WEDEMEYER,  Deputy  Director,  Citizens  Commission  on                                                               
Human Rights, Seattle, Washington,  testified in opposition to SB
 as written. She urged a no vote  on SB 41 in its current form,                                                               
citing  concerns  with the  biomedical  model  of mental  health,                                                               
which   relies  on   symptom  clusters   rather  than   objective                                                               
laboratory  tests  for diagnosis.  She  quoted  the World  Health                                                               
Organization,  stating  that  this  model  emphasizes  diagnosis,                                                               
medication, and  symptom reduction over social  and environmental                                                               
factors. She  highlighted that some  medical conditions,  such as                                                               
autoimmune  disorders,  are  often  misdiagnosed  as  psychiatric                                                               
conditions,  leading to  improper treatment.  She called  for the                                                               
inclusion of healthcare providers  such as naturopaths or medical                                                               
doctors   with   experience   treating  mental   health   without                                                               
psychiatric   drugs  and   requested  that   training  guidelines                                                               
incorporate medical,  nutritional, and other data  that can mimic                                                               
psychiatric disorders.                                                                                                          
                                                                                                                                
4:27:04 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR TOBIN closed public testimony on SB 41.                                                                                   
                                                                                                                                
4:27:14 PM                                                                                                                    
SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON thanked committee  thanked the committee for                                                               
hearing  SB 41  and  stated her  desire for  it  become law  this                                                               
session.                                                                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
4:27:29 PM                                                                                                                    
CHAIR TOBIN [held SB 41 in committee.]