SB 80-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION  9:40:30 AM CHAIR HOLLAND reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 80 "An Act relating to mental health education." He noted that Senator Gray-Jackson had provided written testimony to answer some questions from the committee. 9:40:50 AM SENATOR ELVI GRAY-JACKSON, SB 80 sponsor, Alaska State Legislature, thanked the chair for noting that she had responded to the questions from the committee. SENATOR BEGICH said he received a note with two suggestions from the Suicide Prevention Council and Advisory Board on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, and the Alaska Mental Health Board. One suggestion is that the language describing legislative intent remove the named mental health organizations and instead use "in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Services, regional tribal health organizations, and representatives of national and state mental health organizations." That intent is to have a broad group without naming groups that may not always be in existence. He asked if Senator Gray-Jackson is comfortable with the suggestion. SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON answered that it is a good suggestion. SENATOR BEGICH said that some stakeholders were confused between the words standards and guidelines. They suggested changing that to "health guidelines for instruction in mental health" and "shall be developed in consultation with the Department of Health and Social Services, regional tribal health organizations, and representatives of national and state mental health organizations" to be consistent. 9:43:13 AM SENATOR GRAY-JACKSON replied that is another excellent suggestion. 9:43:22 AM At ease 9:43:58 AM CHAIR HOLLAND moved to invited testimony on SB 80. 9:44:11 AM JASON LESSARD, Executive Director, NAMI Anchorage, Anchorage, Alaska, said he is on the governing board of Alaska Psychiatric Institute, the suicide prevention coalition, and the adult advisor of MHAT, Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling. Mental health is health. While it is a simple and obvious statement, it is still a struggle to incorporate that concept into school curriculum. NAMI chapters, state and nationally, are advocating for these updates to school standards, curriculum, and guidelines. There is a whole lot of data that he could share that is relevant, but he will focus on two data points. The first is that one in five U.S. adults experience a mental illness. He asked the committee to think about how common that is, many students come from families where a loved one has a mental illness. This is not just about students' mental health. It is about evidence-based curriculum to discuss and demystify a set of illnesses that affect 20 percent of the population. That is just diagnosed mental illness. The next data point is that 50 percent of all lifetime mental illness begin by the age of 14, 75 percent by age 24. This is largely happening in the teen brain, and it is vital to talk to them about it. That is why this type of legislation and hopefully these types of changes to curriculum statewide are critical. Early intervention is critical. Giving students a better understanding of mental illness and wellness, the language to talk about it safely, and the understanding of how and where to find resources for themselves, their peers or family is crucial. They learn to talk about the topic in in an educated, evidence-based, proactive, and caring way. 9:46:53 AM CHAIR HOLLAND opened public testimony on SB 80. 9:47:08 AM ZOE KAPLAN, Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling, Anchorage, Alaska, said she is a cofounder of Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling and testifying on her own behalf. This bill entered the house last year as HB 181 and was postponed because of COVID. Unfortunately, that is an apt metaphor for the state's approach to mental health. Alaska has often negated mental health legislation for things considered more important in the moment when the safety and well-being of youth should be prioritized. In 2019, 38 percent of Alaska youth surveyed had a depressive episode, 21 percent made a suicide plan, and 19.7 percent attempted suicide. These statistics are repeated over and over because they are staggering and awful. This bill was important last year and even more important now. Many of her peers before COVID did not consider themselves to have a mental health condition. Once isolated they experienced depressive symptoms for the first time in their lives. They didn't know how to reach out for help because have not received any education or information about it. It will not be resolved on its own when students return to school. Alaska students have had struggles with mental health well before COVID and will well after. The most responsible and necessary thing to do for the safety and well-being of Alaska youth is to set standards for mental health education. Mental health affects one in five. That is a staggeringly large number. 9:49:54 AM NATALIE FRASER, Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling, Anchorage, Alaska, said that she is a cofounder of Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling and is representing herself. She deals with a mental health condition. Growing up she did not have knowledge about depression and other mental health conditions and neither did her family. Despite meeting every health curriculum requirement, no one had ever had formal education about mental health. She believed, like many others, that mental illness was something that other people had. She continued to believe that until she made an attempt on her own life in high school. The knowledge that saved her life didn't come from her classes, family, or her peers. It came through the dedicated efforts of the suicide prevention program run by a West High math teacher. Mental health education works but is rare and not institutionalized. She is in college and wants to be a doctor. Her life is full of passions and joy, but all that was almost lost because she was not taught how to stay healthy. She gave testimony last year about the importance of mental health. The pandemic has reaffirmed that need over and over. Every day as a student, advocate, and friend, she sees how health curriculum fails students. Thousands of students are going through the same struggles she did, uneducated, and she is concerned that many of their outcomes will not be as positive. The Alaska state education system taught her to communicate ideas clearly. It taught her how to be a thoughtful and concerned citizen. She asks the education system to teach one more thing: mental health is health and should be treated as such. 9:52:53 AM NORM WOOTEN, Director of Advocacy, Association of Alaska School Boards, Juneau, Alaska, said that the association supports SB 80. Students' mental health is critical to their well-being and creates better student academic achievement. 9:53:39 AM LISA PARADY, Ph.D., Executive Director, Alaska Council of School Administrators, Juneau, Alaska, said the Alaska Council of School Administrators has a joint position statement on social, emotional, and mental health. Alaska students endure high rates of trauma and adverse childhood experiences. Alaska has the highest rates of attempted teen suicide in the nation. The Alaska Council of School Administrators urges the state to provide funding and resources so schools can partner with local communities to implement comprehensive, culturally-responsive, school-based mental health programs to foster the health and development of all students. The Alaska Council of School Administrators supports targeted funding to help schools recruit and retain and increase student access to school counselors, social workers, psychologists, nurses, and mental health specialists and to provide additional professional development to all staff to meet the increasing and diverse needs of all students. This type of legislation moves the state in the right director to support students in an evidence-based way. 9:55:26 AM KATIE BOTZ, representing self, Juneau, Alaska, said that the social isolation during COVID has been traumatic, especially when students have an unsafe home environment. She is a school bus driver and noticed fewer students even wanting to speak up about their issues during the pandemic because they are unaware of how to speak up. They don't know that it is okay to share that they are having a difficult time. She asked the committee to support SB 80 because she is a constituent with a major depressive disorder and suffered during the pandemic. It is difficult to deal with depression and mental health, especially with the stigma regarding mental health. 9:57:43 AM DEENA BISHOP, Ph.D., Superintendent, Anchorage School District, Anchorage, Alaska, said that now is the time more than ever to help Alaskan students through mental health literacy. Her district is implementing a program regarding social/emotional learning, which involves teaching skills that students and adults need to be successful not only in school but at home, community, and the workplace. As a minor adjustment to the language, which is in line with Mr. Lessard's testimony, what is desired for students is mental health literacy. Literacy is the degree to which an individual has the capacity to obtain, communicate, process, and understand basic information and services to make appropriate decisions. Mental health literacy can be used to guide this work. This definition not only includes the knowledge and beliefs about mental health, but also the promotion of mental health and is in line with the World Health Organization's definition of mental health. Through SB 80, the state can articulate that mental health literacy is a priority for students' education and all students in schools will have the opportunity to become mental health literate. Anchorage School District supports SB 80. 10:00:11 AM CHAIR HOLLAND closed public testimony and held SB 80 in committee.