Bill > HB1562

This bill amends North Dakota law to expand and clarify training requirements for school personnel regarding youth behavioral health and child abuse reporting. Currently, school districts may provide eight hours of professional development every two years on topics like trauma, social-emotional learning, suicide prevention, and behavioral health awareness. The new provisions explicitly add child abuse and child neglect to these training topics. Importantly, the bill now mandates that before initial licensure, public and nonpublic school teachers, administrators, librarians, and counselors must complete a mandated reporter training program for suspected child abuse or neglect. The North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services will develop an online interactive training module that can be used by teacher education colleges, individual educators, and educational institutions to meet this requirement. Schools and regional education associations can also offer their own training programs that satisfy the mandated reporter training requirements. The bill aims to ensure that educational professionals are better equipped to recognize, understand, and report potential child abuse or neglect situations, ultimately enhancing child protection efforts.

Government Affairs

https://ndlegis.gov/assembly/69-2025/regular/bill-overview/bo1562.html