A5147

An Act concerning student behavioral and mental health and supplementing chapter 40 of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes.

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

1. a. The Department of Education shall develop and implement a Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing. It shall be the purpose of the program to educate participants on how to effectively lead a course for public school teachers and staff on the topic of student behavioral and mental health. Participants shall be provided with the knowledge and resources necessary to lead a training course on methods that promote student behavioral and mental health in the school and classroom environments.

b. The Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing shall provide evidence-based instruction on, and prepare a participant to lead, a student behavioral and mental health training course in a public school that addresses:

(1) trauma-informed approaches to improve overall school climate and culture;

(2) the signs of behavioral and mental health challenges and substance use disorders that may be experienced by students;

(3) restorative practices for addressing youth behavioral and mental health challenges;

(4) methods to improve youth social and emotional health and fostering a positive school climate;

(5) methods to encourage positive bystander behavior, including recognizing potentially harmful situations such as bullying, harassment, and intimidation, and taking appropriate action as a bystander;

(6) best practices to provide assistance to students in non-crisis situations;

(7) how to safely de-escalate crisis situations; and

(8) how to identify and access available behavioral and mental health resources and substance use disorder support services appropriate for students.

c. The Department of Education may enter into an agreement with an organization to provide the Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing established pursuant to subsection a. of this section, provided that the organization has experience in: (1) providing evidence-based youth behavioral and mental health training programs; and (2) educating instructors using a train the trainer model.

d. A school district shall not be required to participate in the program.

2. The Commissioner of Education shall annually evaluate the effectiveness of the program. The evaluation shall solicit feedback from participants and consider the effect of the program on school climate and youth behavioral and mental health.

Three years following the effective date of this act, the commissioner shall report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), on the effectiveness of the program.

3. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $1,000,000 for the purpose of effectuating the provisions of this act.

4. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing in the Department of Education. The bill also appropriates $1,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Education for the bill’s purposes.

The bill directs the Department of Education to develop and implement a Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing. The purpose of the program will be to educate participants on how to effectively lead a course for public school teachers and staff on the topic of student behavioral and mental health. Participants will be provided with the knowledge and resources necessary to lead a training course on methods that promote student behavioral and mental health in the school and classroom environments.

Under the bill, the Train the Trainer Program for Student Wellbeing will provide evidence-based instruction on, and prepare a participant to lead, a student behavioral and mental health training course in a public school that addresses:

· trauma-informed approaches to improve overall school climate and culture;

· the signs of behavioral and mental health challenges and substance use disorders that may be experienced by students;

· restorative practices for addressing youth behavioral and mental health challenges;

· methods to improve youth social and emotional health and fostering a positive school climate;

· methods to encourage positive bystander behavior;

· best practices to provide assistance to students in non-crisis situations;

· how to safely de-escalate crisis situations; and

· how to identify and access available behavioral and mental health resources and substance use disorder support services appropriate for students.

The bill permits the department to enter into an agreement with an organization to provide the program, provided that the organization has experience in: (1) providing evidence-based youth behavioral and mental health training programs; and (2) educating instructors using a train the trainer model.

The bill does not require a school district to participate in the program.

The bill requires the Commissioner of Education to annually evaluate the effectiveness of the program. Three years following the bill’s effective date, the commissioner is required to report to the Governor and the Legislature on the effectiveness of the program.

Finally, the bill appropriates from the General Fund to the Department of Education the sum of $1,000,000 for the purpose of effectuating the bill’s provisions.