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.]