Bill would require teachers to take suicide prevention training

TOPEKA – Parents who have lost children to suicide pleaded with lawmakers Tuesday to require teachers to take suicide prevention training.

Senate Bill 323 would require licensed teachers and principals to undergo at least two hours of suicide prevention training annually. Similar legislation, known as The Jason Flatt Act, has been passed by 16 other states. Jason Flatt was a 16-year-old who took his life in 1997.

Local school districts would bear any costs of the training but would be eligible to receive grants from the Jason Foundation and other suicide-prevention groups. The state would not see any additional costs.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death for people ages 10 to 24 in the United States, according to the foundation.

About a dozen parents and grandparents from around the state who had lost children to suicide spoke in support of the legislation at a hearing of the Senate Education Committee on Tuesday.

Betty Brennan of Hiawatha, who lost her son in 2014, called suicide a silent epidemic. She said the day before her son ended his life, he had lunch with a favorite teacher. She pondered what might have happened if the teacher had undergone training that prepared her to ask questions and intervene.

“We teach our youth about drugs and alcohol … yet we don’t educate them on what to do when life seems overwhelming and they feel helpless,” she said. “… By having our teachers more educated, we will save lives.”

Sen. Steve Abrams, R-Arkansas City, the committee’s chair, offered condolences on behalf of the committee to all of the parents who spoke.

The bill has support from the Kansas National Education Association, the state’s largest teachers union. No one spoke against it.

The Kansas Department of Education took a neutral stance. Scott Gordon, the department’s general counsel, told the committee that the state Board of Education is already set to consider a proposal in February that would require all school staff to undergo training in suicide awareness and prevention.

Gordon said that if the board and the Legislature adopted different language, it would be tougher to implement the training. He also recommended that if lawmakers move forward with their legislation, they include an amendment to make it clear that schools and teachers wouldn’t be held liable if a student commits suicide.

This story was originally published January 26, 2016 at 4:38 PM with the headline "Bill would require teachers to take suicide prevention training."