Amd §§10, 13, 14, 15, 801-a, 2801 & 3006-a, add Art 2-A §§20 - 24, Ed L
Updates provisions relating to dignity for all students including establishing the student suicide prevention act which includes curriculum and teacher training requirements designed to prevent student suicide with a focus on LGBTQ students; makes an appropriation therefor.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8380
IN SENATE
January 25, 2024
___________
Introduced by Sen. JACKSON -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Finance
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to updating provisions
relating to dignity for all students; and making an appropriation
therefor
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 10 of the education law, as added by chapter 482
2 of the laws of 2010, is amended to read as follows:
3 § 10. Legislative intent. The legislature finds that students' ability
4 to learn and to meet high academic standards, and a school's ability to
5 educate its students, are compromised by incidents of discrimination or
6 harassment including bullying, taunting or intimidation. It is hereby
7 declared to be the policy of the state to afford all students in public
8 schools an environment free of discrimination and harassment, whether in
9 the school building or on the internet. The purpose of this article is
10 to foster civility in public schools and to prevent and prohibit conduct
11 which is inconsistent with a school's educational mission.
12 § 2. Paragraphs e and l of subdivision 1 of section 13 of the educa-
13 tion law, as added by chapter 102 of the laws of 2012, are amended and a
14 new paragraph m is added to read as follows:
15 e. require the school, when an investigation reveals any such verified
16 harassment, bullying or discrimination, to take prompt actions reason-
17 ably calculated to end the harassment, bullying or discrimination, elim-
18 inate any hostile environment, create a more positive school culture and
19 climate, prevent recurrence of the behavior, and ensure the safety of
20 the student or students against whom such harassment, bullying or
21 discrimination was directed. Such actions shall be consistent with the
22 guidelines created pursuant to subdivision four of this section and
23 shall take into consideration whether notification of persons in
24 parental relation to the student who is the subject of such harassment
25 is in the best interest of the student;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD09917-04-4
S. 8380 2
1 l. maintain current versions of the school district's policies created
2 pursuant to this section on the school district's internet website, if
3 one exists; and
4 m. include safe, responsible use of the internet and electronic commu-
5 nications; and
6 § 3. Subdivision 5 of section 14 of the education law, as amended by
7 chapter 90 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
8 5. [The commissioner shall prescribe] Prescribe regulations that
9 school professionals applying on or after December thirty-first, two
10 thousand thirteen for a certificate or license, including but not limit-
11 ed to a certificate or license valid for service as a classroom teacher,
12 school counselor, school psychologist, school social worker, school
13 administrator or supervisor or superintendent of schools shall, in addi-
14 tion to all other certification or licensing requirements, have
15 completed training on the social patterns of harassment, bullying and
16 discrimination, as defined in section eleven of this article, including
17 but not limited to those acts based on a person's actual or perceived
18 race, color, weight, national origin, ethnic group, religion, religious
19 practice, disability, sexual orientation, gender or sex, the identifica-
20 tion and mitigation of harassment, bullying and discrimination, and
21 strategies for effectively addressing problems of exclusion, bias and
22 aggression in educational settings.
23 § 4. Section 15 of the education law, as amended by chapter 102 of the
24 laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
25 § 15. Reporting by commissioner and use of reports. 1. The commis-
26 sioner shall create a procedure under which material incidents of
27 harassment, bullying and discrimination on school grounds or at a school
28 function are reported to the department at least on an annual basis.
29 Such procedure shall provide that such reports shall, wherever possible,
30 also delineate the specific nature of such incidents of harassment,
31 bullying and discrimination, provided that the commissioner may comply
32 with the requirements of this section through use of the existing
33 uniform violent incident reporting system. In addition, the department
34 may conduct research or undertake studies to determine compliance
35 throughout the state with the provisions of this article.
36 2. The commissioner shall use such reports and data to identify
37 schools and districts that are failing to meet the standards and objec-
38 tives of this article. The commissioner shall promulgate policies and
39 procedures for improving conditions at these schools to ensure proper
40 training, support, and compliance with all requirements.
41 3. The commissioner shall deliver the report referenced in subdivision
42 one of this section to the legislature every two years.
43 § 5. The education law is amended by adding a new article 2-A to read
44 as follows:
45 ARTICLE 2-A
46 STUDENT SUICIDE PREVENTION
47 Section 20. Legislative intent.
48 21. Definitions.
49 22. Policies, procedures, and guidelines.
50 23. Application.
51 24. Severability and construction.
52 § 20. Legislative intent. The legislature finds and declares the
53 following:
54 1. According to data from the federal centers for disease control and
55 prevention as reported in the year two thousand sixteen, suicide is the
56 second leading cause of death for youth and young adults ten to twenty-
S. 8380 3
1 four years of age, inclusive, in both the United States and in New York
2 state.
3 2. As children and teens spend a significant amount of their young
4 lives in school, the personnel who interact with them on a daily basis
5 are essential gatekeepers for recognizing warning signs of suicide and
6 making the appropriate referrals for help.
7 3. In a national survey conducted by the Jason Foundation, a teacher
8 was identified as the number one person to whom a student would turn to
9 help a friend who might be suicidal. It is imperative that when a young
10 person comes to a teacher for help, such teacher has the knowledge,
11 tools, and resources to respond correctly.
12 4. In the year two thousand eighteen, the federal centers for disease
13 control and prevention found in its Youth Risk Behavior Survey that
14 lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth are almost four times more likely to
15 seriously consider attempting suicide, have made a suicide plan, or have
16 attempted suicide, than their heterosexual peers.
17 5. There are national hotlines available to help adults and youth,
18 including lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning
19 (LGBTQ) youth, who are experiencing suicidal ideation or who are worried
20 about a family member or peer who may be at risk, including the National
21 Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, the Trevor Project
22 Lifeline, and TrevorChat.
23 6. According to the Family Acceptance Project, research has found
24 that, for an LGBTQ youth, having at least one supportive adult can
25 reduce the youth's risk of suicide.
26 7. New York state schools face the serious issues of students at high
27 risk of suicide and death by suicide in the school communities. School
28 personnel must be supported by clear policies and procedures, which
29 serve as an easily-accessible roadmap, eliminate confusion over educator
30 roles and the referral process, and equip educators with the tools to
31 respond safely when a suicide does occur in the school community.
32 § 21. Definitions. For the purposes of this article, the following
33 terms shall have the following meanings:
34 1. "Crisis situation" means a situation where a teacher or other local
35 educational agency employee believes a student or other individual is in
36 imminent danger of a suicide attempt.
37 2. "LGBTQ" means individuals who identify, with regards to gender, as
38 being lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, or questioning.
39 3. "Local educational agency" means a school district, board of coop-
40 erative educational services, school, or the education department.
41 4. "Suicide intervention" means specific actions schools can take in
42 response to suicidal behavior by a student, including, but not limited
43 to:
44 a. student supervision;
45 b. notification of parents or guardians;
46 c. crisis situation response protocols;
47 d. when and how to request an immediate mental health assessment or
48 emergency services; and
49 e. school re-entry procedures following a student mental health
50 crisis.
51 5. "Suicide postvention" means planned support and interventions
52 schools can implement after a suicide attempt or suicide death of a
53 member of the school community that are designed to:
54 a. reduce the risk of the spread of suicidal thoughts or intentions;
55 b. provide support for affected students and school-based personnel;
56 c. address the social stigma associated with suicide; and
S. 8380 4
1 d. disseminate factual information about suicide and its prevention.
2 6. "Suicide prevention" means specific actions schools can take to
3 recognize and reduce suicidal behavior, including, but not limited to:
4 a. identifying risks and protective factors for suicide and suicide
5 warning signs;
6 b. establishing a process by which students are referred to a mental
7 and behavioral health provider for help;
8 c. making available school-based and community-based mental health
9 supports;
10 d. providing the location of available online and community suicide
11 prevention resources, including local crisis centers and hotlines;
12 e. adopting policies and protocols regarding suicide prevention,
13 intervention, and postvention, school safety, and response to crisis
14 situations;
15 f. training for school personnel who interact directly with students
16 in recognizing suicide risks and warning signs and how to refer students
17 for further assessment and evaluation; and
18 g. instruction to students in problem-solving and coping skills to
19 promote students' mental, emotional, and social health and well-being,
20 and instruction in recognizing and appropriately responding to signs of
21 suicidal intent in others.
22 § 22. Policies, procedures, and guidelines. 1. The governing board or
23 body of every local educational agency that serves students in grades
24 seven to twelve, inclusive, shall, before the first day of August, two
25 thousand twenty-four, adopt policies, procedures, and guidelines on
26 student suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention for students
27 in such grades. Such policies, procedures, and guidelines shall be
28 developed in consultation with school and community stakeholders,
29 school-employed mental health professionals, and suicide prevention
30 experts, and shall include, but not be limited to:
31 a. methods to increase awareness of the relationship between suicide
32 and suicide risk factors, including, but not limited to:
33 i. mental health and substance use conditions;
34 ii. childhood abuse, neglect, or trauma;
35 iii. prolonged stress, including individual experiences such as bully-
36 ing, harassment, family or relationship stress, or other stressful life
37 events, as well as collective stressors such as systemic bias and
38 discrimination;
39 iv. exposure to another person's suicide, or sensationalized or graph-
40 ic accounts of suicide; and
41 v. previous suicide attempts or history of suicide within a student's
42 family;
43 b. identification of training opportunities on recognizing suicide
44 risks, and referral procedures available to school employees;
45 c. availability of expertise from school employees who have been
46 trained in recognizing suicide risks, and referral procedures;
47 d. how school employees should respond to suspicion, concerns, or
48 warning signs of suicide in students;
49 e. how school employees should respond to a crisis situation where a
50 student is in imminent danger to himself or herself;
51 f. policies and protocols for communication with parents, including
52 those that specify what to do if parental notification is not in the
53 best interest of the student;
54 g. counseling services available within the school for students and
55 their families that are related to suicide prevention;
S. 8380 5
1 h. availability of information concerning crisis situation inter-
2 vention, suicide prevention, and mental health services in the community
3 for students and their families and school employees;
4 i. identification and development of partnerships with community
5 organizations and agencies for referral of students to health, mental
6 health, substance use, and social support services, including develop-
7 ment of at least one memorandum of understanding between the local
8 education agency and such an organization or agency in the community or
9 region;
10 j. development of a culturally competent plan to assist survivors of
11 attempted suicide and to assist students and school employees in coping
12 with an attempted suicide or a suicide death within the school communi-
13 ty; and
14 k. development of any other related program or activity for students
15 or school employees.
16 2. The policies, procedures, and guidelines adopted pursuant to subdi-
17 vision one of this section shall specifically address the needs of high-
18 risk groups, including, but not limited to, the following:
19 a. youth who have lost a friend or family member to suicide;
20 b. youth with disabilities or with chronic health conditions, includ-
21 ing mental health and substance use conditions;
22 c. youth experiencing homelessness or in out-of-home settings, such as
23 foster care; and
24 d. LGBTQ youth.
25 3. The policies, procedures, and guidelines adopted pursuant to subdi-
26 vision one of this section shall be written to ensure that a school
27 employee acts only within the authorization and scope of such employee's
28 credential or license. Nothing in this section shall be construed as
29 authorizing or encouraging a school employee to diagnose or treat mental
30 health conditions unless such employee is specifically licensed and
31 employed to do so.
32 4. Notwithstanding any other provision of law to the contrary, no
33 cause of action may be brought for any loss or damage caused by any act
34 or omission resulting from the implementation of the provisions of this
35 article, or resulting from any training, or lack of training, required
36 by this article. Nothing in this article shall be construed to impose
37 any specific duty of care.
38 5. To assist local educational agencies in developing policies for
39 student suicide prevention, the department shall develop and maintain
40 model policies, procedures, and guidelines in accordance with this
41 section to serve as a guide for local educational agencies. Such model
42 policies, procedures, and guidelines shall be posted within thirty days
43 of their completion on the department's internet website, along with
44 relevant resources and information to support schools in developing and
45 implementing the policies, procedures, and guidelines required under
46 subdivision one of this section.
47 6. The governing board or body of a local educational agency that
48 serves students in grades seven to twelve, inclusive, shall review, at
49 minimum every fifth year following the effective date of this article,
50 its policies, procedures, and guidelines on student suicide prevention
51 and, if necessary, update such policies, procedures, and guidelines.
52 § 23. Application. The provisions of this article shall apply to all
53 private and public educational institutions in New York state.
54 § 24. Severability and construction. The provisions of this article
55 shall be severable, and if any court of competent jurisdiction declares
56 any phrase, clause, sentence or provision of this article to be invalid,
S. 8380 6
1 or its applicability to any government agency, person or circumstance is
2 declared invalid, the remainder of this article and its relevant appli-
3 cability shall not be affected. The provisions of this article shall be
4 liberally construed to give effect to the purposes thereof.
5 § 6. Section 801-a of the education law, as amended by section 102 of
6 the laws of 2012, is amended to read as follows:
7 § 801-a. Instruction in civility, citizenship [and], character educa-
8 tion, digital citizenship, and media literacy.
9 1. For the purposes of this section, the following terms shall have
10 the following meanings:
11 a. "Tolerance", "respect for others", and "dignity" shall include
12 awareness and sensitivity to harassment, bullying, discrimination, and
13 civility in the relations of people of different races, weights,
14 national origins, ethnic groups, religions, religious practices, mental
15 or physical abilities, sexual orientations, genders, and sexes.
16 b. "Digital citizenship" shall mean a diverse set of skills related to
17 current technology and social media, including the norms of appropriate,
18 responsible, and healthy behavior and focuses on empowering learners to
19 use online resources, applications, and spaces to improve communities
20 and curate a positive and effective digital footprint.
21 c. "Media literacy" shall mean the ability to use media and to access,
22 analyze, evaluate, create, and act using all forms of communication and
23 encompasses the foundational skills that lead to digital citizenship.
24 2. The regents shall ensure that the course of instruction in grades
25 kindergarten through twelve includes a component on civility, citizen-
26 ship, and character education. Such component shall instruct students on
27 the principles of honesty, tolerance, personal responsibility, and
28 respect for others, with an emphasis on discouraging acts of harassment,
29 bullying, discrimination, observance of laws and rules, courtesy, digni-
30 ty, and other traits which will enhance the quality of their experiences
31 in, and contributions to, the community. Such component shall include
32 instruction of safe, responsible use of the internet and electronic
33 communications. The regents shall determine how to incorporate such
34 component in existing curricula and the commissioner shall promulgate
35 any regulations needed to carry out such determination of the regents.
36 [For the purposes of this section, "tolerance," "respect for others" and
37 "dignity" shall include awareness and sensitivity to harassment, bully-
38 ing, discrimination and civility in the relations of people of different
39 races, weights, national origins, ethnic groups, religions, religious
40 practices, mental or physical abilities, sexual orientations, genders,
41 and sexes.]
42 3. The regents, in conjunction with the commissioner, shall ensure
43 that the course of instruction in grades kindergarten through twelve
44 includes a component on media literacy. Such component shall include
45 instruction of internet safety, civility, and digital citizenship with a
46 focus on the principles of safe, responsible use of the internet and
47 electronic communications. The boards of education and trustees of the
48 cities and school districts of the state shall require instruction to be
49 given in media literacy by the teachers employed in the schools therein.
50 If available, instruction in media literacy shall be provided by library
51 media specialists employed by the schools therein.
52 4. The commissioner, in conjunction with the regents, shall incorpo-
53 rate existing state media literacy standards into the component
54 described in subdivision two of this section and create a clear and
55 coherent set of media literacy education standards, which shall include,
S. 8380 7
1 but not be limited to, the following skills, experiences, and competen-
2 cies:
3 a. reading experiences balanced between literature and informational
4 texts, which include both print and digital sources;
5 b. integration and evaluation of content and information presented in
6 diverse media and formats, including visual, quantitative, and oral;
7 c. use of technology and digital tools, including the internet, for
8 writing and drawing to increase learning and communication and to inter-
9 act and collaborate with others;
10 d. writing of informative and explanatory texts to examine and convey
11 complex ideas and information clearly and accurately through the effec-
12 tive selection, organization, and analysis of content, including multi-
13 media;
14 e. strategic use of digital media and visual displays to express
15 information and enhance understanding of presentations;
16 f. the ability to assess how point of view or purpose shapes the
17 content and style of a text, drawing on a wide range of global and
18 diverse texts;
19 g. gathering of relevant information from multiple sources and assess-
20 ing the credibility and accuracy of such sources, for the purpose of
21 integrating such information in writing without plagiarizing;
22 h. effectively communicating conclusions and taking informed action
23 based on such conclusions;
24 i. the ability to create, produce, respond, interpret, and connect
25 with artistic work and techniques;
26 j. managing information with a focus on the ability to access and use
27 information obtained from other people, community resources, and comput-
28 er networks and using technology to acquire, organize, and communicate
29 information by entering, modifying, retrieving, and storing data;
30 k. demonstration of digital citizenship by maintaining ethical deci-
31 sion making and behavior and avoid the spread of misinformation in the
32 exchange and use of information;
33 l. use of digital tools to communicate and work with others to build
34 knowledge, convey ideas, learn with others, create and revise collabora-
35 tive products, support individual learning, and contribute to the learn-
36 ing of others;
37 m. use of digital tools to create and revise simple, complex, and
38 multimedia digital artifacts;
39 n. identification of ways other people put their own information into
40 online spaces;
41 o. the ability to explain how actions in online spaces can have conse-
42 quences in other spaces and the connection between the persistence of
43 data on the internet, personal online identity, and personal privacy;
44 p. actively managing digital presence and digital footprint to reflect
45 an understanding of the permanence and potential consequences of actions
46 in online spaces;
47 q. designing and implementing strategies that support safety and secu-
48 rity of digital information, personal identity, property, and physical
49 and mental health when operating in the digital world;
50 r. identifying types of cyberbullying and developing strategies to
51 combat cyberbullying and harassment; and
52 s. any additional media literacy standards outlined in state depart-
53 ment publications or in the codes, rules and regulations of the state of
54 New York, as deemed necessary.
55 5. The commissioner, in conjunction with the regents, shall update the
56 New York state professional teaching standards to incorporate media
S. 8380 8
1 literacy and educate library media specialists and teachers on the rele-
2 vant standards of media literacy so that library media specialists and
3 teachers can effectively incorporate such standards into their curric-
4 ulums.
5 6. The commissioner, in conjunction with the regents, shall annually
6 review the media literacy standards set forth in this section to ensure
7 such standards capture the full range of skills, experiences, and compe-
8 tencies that research indicates is necessary for media literacy, and
9 shall update such standards as necessary.
10 7. The media literacy standards set forth in this section shall serve
11 as an overview of the state's interdisciplinary approach to media liter-
12 acy education and shall emphasize the importance of media literacy for
13 civic readiness.
14 § 7. Subdivision 1 of section 2801 of the education law, as amended by
15 chapter 402 of the laws of 2005, is amended to read as follows:
16 1. a. For purposes of this section, [school property] the following
17 terms shall have the following meanings:
18 (i) "School property" means:
19 (A) in or within any building, structure, athletic playing field,
20 playground, parking lot, or land contained within the real property
21 boundary line of a public elementary or secondary school; or
22 (B) in or on a school bus, as defined in section one hundred forty-two
23 of the vehicle and traffic law[; and a school function shall mean].
24 (ii) "School function" means a school-sponsored or school-authorized
25 [extra-curricular] extra curricular event or activity, regardless of
26 where such event or activity takes place, including any event or activ-
27 ity that may take place in another state.
28 b. This section shall also apply to cyberbullying, whether on or off
29 school property or at or away from a school function.
30 § 8. Subdivision 2 of section 3006-a of the education law, as added by
31 section 2 of subpart C of part EE of chapter 56 of the laws of 2015, is
32 amended and a new subdivision 4 is added to read as follows:
33 2. a. During each five-year registration period beginning on or after
34 July first, two thousand sixteen, an applicant for registration shall
35 successfully complete a minimum of one hundred hours of continuing
36 teacher and leader education, as defined by the commissioner. The
37 department shall issue rigorous standards for courses, programs, and
38 activities, that shall qualify as continuing teacher and leader educa-
39 tion pursuant to this section. For purposes of this section, a peer
40 review teacher, or a principal acting as an independent trained evalu-
41 ator, conducting a classroom observation as part of the teacher evalu-
42 ation system pursuant to section three thousand twelve-d of this article
43 may credit such time towards his or her continuing teacher and leader
44 effectiveness requirements.
45 b. During each five-year registration period beginning on or after a
46 date which shall be determined by the commissioner, any teacher who is
47 an applicant for registration shall successfully complete a minimum of
48 five hours of professional development related to media literacy educa-
49 tion and any library media specialist shall complete a minimum of
50 fifteen hours of professional development related to media literacy
51 education, as defined by the commissioner. Such professional develop-
52 ment related to media literacy education shall be counted toward the one
53 hundred hours of continuing teacher and leader education required by
54 paragraph a of this subdivision. The commissioner shall require that:
S. 8380 9
1 (i) professional development related to media literacy education
2 incorporates the principles and practices of the department's culturally
3 responsive-sustaining framework;
4 (ii) professional development related to media literacy education is
5 provided by or in coordination with a library media specialist or an
6 employee from a school district's library system in every school
7 district;
8 (iii) library media specialists in every school district receive
9 specific training in how to provide professional development related to
10 media literacy education to teachers of all grade levels and subject
11 areas contained in their schools, which shall include instruction on how
12 to effectively integrate media literacy education into such teachers'
13 curricula; and
14 (iv) the department creates and provides model curricula and teaching
15 and professional development resources which incorporate media literacy
16 education on its website.
17 c. During each five-year registration period beginning on or after a
18 date which shall be determined by the commissioner, any teacher who is
19 an applicant for registration shall successfully complete a minimum of
20 five hours of professional development related to articles two and two-A
21 of this chapter. Such professional development shall be counted toward
22 the one hundred hours of continuing teacher and leader education
23 required by paragraph a of this subdivision. The commissioner shall
24 require that:
25 (i) professional development related to articles two and two-A of this
26 chapter incorporates the principles and practices of the department's
27 culturally responsive-sustaining framework;
28 (ii) professional development related to articles two and two-A of
29 this chapter is provided by or in coordination with a teacher or guid-
30 ance counselor in every school district; and
31 (iii) the department creates and provides model curricula and teaching
32 and professional development resources which incorporate the principles
33 and practices articulated in articles two and two-A of this chapter on
34 its website.
35 d. Nothing in this section shall limit the ability of local school
36 districts to agree pursuant to collective bargaining to additional hours
37 of professional development or continuing teacher or leader education
38 above the minimum requirements set forth in this section.
39 [c.] e. A certified individual who has not satisfied the continuing
40 teacher and leader education requirements shall not be issued a five-
41 year registration certificate by the department and shall not practice
42 unless and until a registration or conditional registration certificate
43 is issued as provided in subdivision three of this section. For purposes
44 of this subdivision, "continuing teacher and leader education require-
45 ments" shall mean activities designed to improve the teacher or leader's
46 pedagogical and/or leadership skills, targeted at improving student
47 performance, including but not limited to formal continuing teacher and
48 leader education activities. Such activities shall promote the profes-
49 sionalization of teaching and be closely aligned to district goals for
50 student performance which meet the standards prescribed by regulations
51 of the commissioner. To fulfill the continuing teacher and leader educa-
52 tion requirement, programs must be taken from sponsors approved by the
53 department, which shall include but not be limited to school districts,
54 pursuant to the regulations of the commissioner.
55 4. For the purposes of this section, "library media specialist" shall
56 mean an individual employed by a school district as a library media
S. 8380 10
1 specialist pursuant to section 91.2 of title eight of the codes, rules
2 and regulations of the state of New York.
3 § 9. The sum of fifteen million dollars ($15,000,000), or so much
4 thereof as may be necessary, is hereby appropriated to the department of
5 education out of moneys in the state treasury in the general fund to the
6 credit of the state purposes account, not otherwise appropriated, and
7 made immediately available, for the purposes of carrying out the
8 provisions of this act. Five million dollars ($5,000,000) of such funds
9 shall be used for purposes including, but not limited to, the develop-
10 ment and distribution of teacher trainings, model lessons, and continu-
11 ing education classes. Five million dollars ($5,000,000) of such funds
12 shall be used for purposes including, but not limited to, the develop-
13 ment and implementation of media literacy standards, teacher trainings,
14 and continuing professional development. Five million dollars
15 ($5,000,000) of such funds shall be used for purposes including, but not
16 limited to, the development and distribution of policies, standards, and
17 trainings related to suicide prevention. Such moneys shall be payable on
18 the audit and warrant of the state comptroller on vouchers certified or
19 approved by the commissioner of the department of education in the
20 manner prescribed by law.
21 § 10. This act shall take effect immediately.
