Bill > S0884

This bill mandates that beginning with the 2016-2017 school year, the Florida Department of Education must include two hours of training on youth suicide awareness and prevention within the existing continuing education or inservice training requirements for teachers in elementary, middle, and high schools, without increasing the total required hours. The Department of Education, in collaboration with the Statewide Office for Suicide Prevention and suicide prevention experts, will create a list of approved training materials, which must cover how to identify and refer youth and their families to appropriate mental health services, and may include materials already used by school districts or self-study options. Importantly, this legislation includes a provision that protects individuals from liability for acts or omissions related to this training, unless there was willful or wanton misconduct, and clarifies that it does not create new duties or bases for legal claims.