Bill > SB531

This bill aims to mandate mental health education as a required component of the curriculum for California public schools in grades 1 through 12. Recognizing that mental health is critical to overall well-being and academic success, and that millions of Californians, including at least one in five youth, experience mental health challenges, the bill requires schools to incorporate mental health education into their existing health instruction areas. For elementary schools (grades 1-6), the bill modifies the health curriculum to explicitly include mental health education, and for secondary schools (grades 7-12), it adds mental health education as a separate course of study. The legislation is designed to increase awareness, encourage help-seeking behaviors, and reduce the stigma associated with mental health challenges by providing comprehensive mental health education through the public education system. The bill acknowledges that the public education system is the most efficient and effective setting for delivering this education to all youth, ensuring that students across California have the opportunity to learn about mental health. If the Commission on State Mandates determines that implementing this bill will create additional costs for local educational agencies, the state will provide reimbursement for those mandated expenses.

Education

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260SB531