H672 • 2025

An Act relative to suicide prevention in schools

Education Labor

Active

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Sponsor: Edward R. Philips
Last action: 2025-10-02
Official status: Accompanied a new draft, see H4563
Effective date: Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

Using official source text because the generated explanation was unavailable or could not be confirmed against the official bill text.

An Act relative to suicide prevention in schools

An Act relative to suicide prevention in schools By Representative Philips of Sharon, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.

What This Bill Does

An Act relative to suicide prevention in schools By Representative Philips of Sharon, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No.
672) of Edward R.
Philips that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education be authorized to offer two hours of evidence based in-service suicide awareness and prevention training once every other year to certain employees.
Education.

Limits and Unknowns

This entry is temporarily using official source text because the generated explanation could not be confirmed against the official bill text during the last sync.

Bill History

2025-10-02 House
Accompanied a new draft, see H4563
2025-07-10 Joint
Hearing scheduled for 07/21/2025 from 11:00 AM-05:00 PM in Gardner Auditorium
2025-02-27 House
Referred to the committee on Education
2025-02-27 Senate
Senate concurred

Official Summary Text

An Act relative to suicide prevention in schools
By Representative Philips of Sharon, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 672) of Edward R. Philips that the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education be authorized to offer two hours of evidence based in-service suicide awareness and prevention training once every other year to certain employees. Education.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text

Bill H.672

SECTION 1. Chapter 71 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:

Section 98. (a) The department of elementary and secondary education shall adopt rules to require in school health care providers and any holder of, or applicant for, an educator’s license in the commonwealth to receive at least 2 hours of evidence based in-service suicide awareness and prevention training once every other year. This training shall be provided within the framework of existing in-service training programs offered by the department or as part of required professional development activities.

(1) Staff members subject to the training under paragraph (a) initially hired during a school year in which the training is not required, shall be provided with suicide prevention and identification materials for review by the local district within thirty days of being hired.

(b) The department shall, in consultation with the department of public health, the department of mental health, and suicide prevention experts, develop a list of approved training materials to fulfill the requirements of this section. The approved training materials must:

(1) be evidence-based; and

(2) demonstrated to be an effective or promising program.

(c) On or before January 1, 2027, a school of a school district or county office of education and a charter school shall be required to have at least one mental health professional, as defined, for every 400 pupils generally accessible to pupils on campus during school hours.

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