| 1 | A bill to be entitled |
| 2 | An act relating to suicide prevention; providing |
| 3 | legislative intent; providing for a pilot program to be |
| 4 | conducted by the Signs of Suicide Prevention Program for |
| 5 | secondary schools in specified counties; requiring the |
| 6 | submission of proposals to the Department of Education; |
| 7 | providing for student participation in the pilot program |
| 8 | and for the provision of certain information to parents; |
| 9 | requiring a report to the Legislature; providing an |
| 10 | appropriation; providing an effective date. |
| 11 |
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| 12 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 13 |
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| 14 | Section 1. Signs of Suicide Prevention Program for |
| 15 | secondary schools; pilot program; legislative intent.-- |
| 16 | (1) It is the intent of the Legislature to provide support |
| 17 | and funding for a pilot program conducted by the Signs of |
| 18 | Suicide Prevention Program for secondary schools, hereinafter |
| 19 | referred to as "SOS." SOS is a nationally recognized, evidence- |
| 20 | based suicide prevention and depression screening program for |
| 21 | secondary schools. SOS teaches students how to identify symptoms |
| 22 | of depression and suicidal tendencies in themselves and friends |
| 23 | while educating students about the relationship between |
| 24 | depression and suicide and encouraging them to seek help. The |
| 25 | pilot program shall encourage collaboration with local mental |
| 26 | health facilities and individual professionals in order to |
| 27 | facilitate increased access to treatment. |
| 28 | (2) During the 2006-2007 fiscal year, an SOS pilot program |
| 29 | shall be conducted in Brevard, Orange, Osceola, and Seminole |
| 30 | counties. In order to receive funding under this act, an SOS |
| 31 | entity for a county authorized to participate in the pilot |
| 32 | program must submit to the Department of Education by September |
| 33 | 1, 2006, a proposal for suicide prevention and depression |
| 34 | screening for secondary school students who attend school in |
| 35 | that county. The pilot program shall provide local school |
| 36 | personnel in each participating county with the materials |
| 37 | necessary for implementation. The entire student body or a |
| 38 | select portion of the student body of a participating school |
| 39 | shall be screened, depending on the school's resources. A |
| 40 | student is not required to present identification in order to be |
| 41 | screened. Prior to the screening, the parent of each student in |
| 42 | a participating school shall be provided with a copy of the |
| 43 | screening form and additional information to assist the parent |
| 44 | in the identification of depression and suicidal tendencies and |
| 45 | to help initiate family discussions. A parent may refuse to |
| 46 | allow his or her child to participate in the pilot program. |
| 47 | (3) By January 1, 2007, the SOS pilot program shall |
| 48 | provide to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the |
| 49 | House of Representatives a report that includes an itemized list |
| 50 | of program costs, an evaluation of participating schools, an |
| 51 | assessment of the quality of the program components, an |
| 52 | assessment of the safety of program implementation, an |
| 53 | assessment of the burden on school support staff after |
| 54 | implementation of the program, an assessment of the efficacy of |
| 55 | the program, and recommendations for further legislation, which |
| 56 | may include an assessment of the feasibility of extending the |
| 57 | program to secondary schools throughout the state. The |
| 58 | information shall be reported for the pilot program in the |
| 59 | aggregate, for each participating county, and for each |
| 60 | participating school in each participating county. |
| 61 | Section 2. The sum of $600,000 is appropriated from the |
| 62 | General Revenue Fund to the Department of Education for the |
| 63 | 2006-2007 fiscal year to be distributed to the Michael Buonauro |
| 64 | Foundation to implement the Signs of Suicide Prevention Program |
| 65 | as a pilot program for secondary schools in Brevard, Orange, |
| 66 | Osceola, and Seminole counties in accordance with this act. |
| 67 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006. |