| 1 | The Education Council recommends the following: |
| 2 |
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| 3 | Council/Committee Substitute |
| 4 | Remove the entire bill and insert: |
| 5 | A bill to be entitled |
| 6 | An act relating to suicide prevention; providing for a |
| 7 | pilot program to be conducted by the Signs of Suicide |
| 8 | Prevention Program for secondary schools in specified |
| 9 | counties; requiring the submission of proposals to the |
| 10 | Department of Education; providing for student |
| 11 | participation in the pilot program and for the provision |
| 12 | of certain information to parents and legal guardians; |
| 13 | requiring a report to the Legislature; requiring |
| 14 | implementation of the pilot program to be contingent upon |
| 15 | state funding and equivalent matching funds; providing an |
| 16 | effective date. |
| 17 |
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| 18 | Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: |
| 19 |
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| 20 | Section 1. Signs of Suicide Prevention Program for |
| 21 | secondary schools; pilot program.-- |
| 22 | (1) Contingent upon funding in the General Appropriations |
| 23 | Act, there is established a pilot program to be conducted by the |
| 24 | Signs of Suicide Prevention Program for secondary schools, |
| 25 | hereinafter referred to as "SOS." The pilot program shall |
| 26 | encourage collaboration with local mental health facilities and |
| 27 | individual professionals. |
| 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 and depression prevention for |
| 34 | secondary school students who attend school in that county. The |
| 35 | pilot program shall provide school personnel in each |
| 36 | participating school with the materials necessary for |
| 37 | implementation. |
| 38 | (3) The parent or legal guardian of each student in a |
| 39 | participating school shall be provided with a copy of program |
| 40 | information and a screening form to assist the parent or legal |
| 41 | guardian in the identification of depression and suicidal |
| 42 | tendencies and to help initiate family discussions. There shall |
| 43 | be no screening of students without the written consent of a |
| 44 | parent or legal guardian. |
| 45 | (4) By January 1, 2007, the district school board of each |
| 46 | participating county shall provide to the President of the |
| 47 | Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives a report |
| 48 | that includes an itemized list of program costs, an evaluation |
| 49 | of participating schools, an assessment of the quality of the |
| 50 | program components, an assessment of the safety of program |
| 51 | implementation, an assessment of the burden on school support |
| 52 | staff after implementation of the program, an assessment of the |
| 53 | efficacy of the program, and recommendations regarding program |
| 54 | effects and outcomes. The information shall be reported for the |
| 55 | pilot program in the aggregate, for each participating county, |
| 56 | and for each participating school in each participating county. |
| 57 | Section 2. Implementation of the pilot program conducted |
| 58 | by the Signs of Suicide Prevention Program for secondary schools |
| 59 | shall be contingent upon funding in the 2006-2007 General |
| 60 | Appropriations Act. Funds appropriated to the Department of |
| 61 | Education for the pilot program shall be distributed to the |
| 62 | Michael Buonauro Foundation to implement the pilot program in |
| 63 | accordance with this act. In order to receive state funds for |
| 64 | this purpose, the Michael Buonauro Foundation shall provide |
| 65 | matching funds in an amount equal to the appropriation. |
| 66 | Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2006. |