SB 24-PUBLIC SCHOOLS: MENTAL HEALTH EDUCATION  4:02:52 PM VICE CHAIR STEVENS reconvened the meeting and announced the consideration of SENATE BILL NO. 24 "An Act relating to mental health education; and providing for an effective date." 4:03:02 PM SENATOR ELVI GRAY-JACKSON, District G, sponsor of SB 24, said the bill is the same as Senate Bill 80 that she sponsored last session. She introduced SB 24 as follows: [Original punctuation provided.] SB 24 amends the existing health education curriculum statute to include mental health curriculum in all K- 12 health classrooms to adequately educate students on vital information pertaining to mental health symptoms, resources, and treatment. The Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development and the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development (DEED) will develop guidelines for instruction in mental health in consultation with numerous stakeholders. Such organizations include, but are not limited to, the National Council for Behavioral Health, Providence Health and Services Alaska, Southcentral Foundation, Anchorage Community Mental Health Services, Inc., North Star Behavioral Health System, and the National Alliance on Mental Health Illness Alaska. The standards will be developed in consultation with counselors, educators, students, administrators, and other mental health organizations to form effective guidelines for school boards, teachers, and students. After standards have been developed, the Alaska State Board of Education and Early Development and DEED will be responsible for implementation throughout the Alaska school system. As with existing health education curriculum, the DEED, the Department of Health, and the Council on Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault will provide technical assistance to school districts in the development of personal safety curricula. An existing school health education specialist position will assist in coordinating the program statewide. SB 24 aims to decrease the stigma surrounding mental illnesses and increase students' knowledge of mental health, encouraging conversation around and understanding of the issue. 4:05:27 PM BESSE ODOM, Staff, Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson, Alaska State Legislature, Juneau, Alaska, provided the sectional analysis for SB 24 as follows: [Original punctuation provided.] Section 1: The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read Legislative Intent. This section specifies what entities will develop guidelines for instruction in mental health. Section 2: This section amends AS 14.30.360(a) by removing the word "physical" when referencing instruction for health education and adding "mental health" and "physical health" to the list of curriculum items each district includes in their health education programs. Section 3: This section amends AS 14.30.360(b) by clarifying that health guidelines developed by the Board of Education and Early Development must provide standards for instruction in mental health and be developed in consultation with the Department and other entities. Section 4: The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read Report to the Legislature. This section clarifies that a report must be given to the Senate Secretary and Chief Clerk of the House of Representatives. This report should include a copy of developmentally appropriate instruction and describe the process used to develop such guidelines. Section 5: The uncodified law of the State of Alaska is amended by adding a new section to read Transition. Specifically, the section requires that the state Board of Education and Early Development shall develop the mental health guidelines within two years after the effective day of this Act. Section 6: This section sets an effective date of July 1, 2023 4:07:29 PM VICE CHAIR STEVENS announced invited testimony for SB 24. 4:07:55 PM ANN RINGSTAD, Executive Director, National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) Alaska, Anchorage, Alaska, provided a brief overview of the history and purpose of NAMI in Alaska. She said SB 24 mends existing health education curriculum statutes to include mental curriculum in public K-12 schools. It adequately educates students on vital information about mental health symptoms, resources, and treatment. One in six youth aged 6 - 17 in the US will experience a mental health condition, and half of all mental health conditions begin by age 14. One in three adults aged 18 - 25 will experience a mental health challenge. Education, early intervention, and working on prevention are keys to minimizing common mental health issues and hopefully irradicating the long-term disabilities caused by mental illness. Mental health and physical health are coupled. 4:09:41 PM MS. RINGSTAD said that SB 24 aims to decrease the stigma of mental illness by establishing and encouraging schools to follow guidelines that will increase students' knowledge of mental health by encouraging conversation and understanding. Decreasing stigma leads to early intervention and improved outcomes. NAMI appreciates the reports commissioned by numerous organizations addressing mental health support in schools throughout Alaska. All school districts in Alaska face barriers to delivering mental health supports, such as: • Alignment • Availability • Access • Resources • External Influences MS. RINGSTAD said districts use various internal and external approaches to address student mental health. However, the variability between them makes identifying overarching commonalities and themes difficult. Strengthening existing public school health guidelines in consultation with stakeholders and others listed in the legislation will guide school districts to educate students in recognizing warning signs of mental distress and provide them with the language and resources to locate help. 4:12:16 PM JASON LESSARD, Advisor, Mental Health Advocacy Through Storytelling (MHATS), Anchorage, Alaska, said he has been an adult advisor for MHATS, a youth-developed and youth-led storytelling program, for five year. The program teaches kids to talk about their personal health journey. He also serves on the Alaska Psychiatric Institute (API) governing body as a patient advocate and chair of the ethics committee. 4:13:15 PM MR. LESSARD said he would like to see SB 24 pass because there is a mental health crisis among. Fifty percent of all lifelong mental illnesses begin by age 14 and 75 percent by age 24. The onset of mental illness essentially happens in the teenage brain. Curricula must be changed to promote early intervention, so students understand mental illness and mental wellness, have the language to talk about it safely, and understand how and where to find resources for themselves and others. Nine out of ten calls to the mental health line are resolved and do not need further action. Getting information into the hands of youth is important because youth share information with each other. It is also essential that conversations happen in a healthy way. Some school districts have unwittingly sought the use of outdated mental health curriculums that have adverse effects. The goal of SB 24 is to establish guidelines to help school districts establish curriculums. SB 24 is not a mandate. 4:17:32 PM VICE CHAIR STEVENS held SB 24 in committee.