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.