Sacramento – Equality California and The Trevor Project are sponsoring a bill introduced today by Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell (D – Long Beach) that would require local school districts statewide to adopt plans to prevent teen suicides.
AB 2246 would require local school boards to adopt plans on suicide prevention for students attending grades seven to 12. These plans would be developed together with suicide prevention experts, parents, student advocates and school mental health professionals. The bill also would require the state Department of Education to develop a model plan to serve as a guide for local districts.
“Our kids spend so much of their day in school that teachers serve as the first line of defense when a child is suffering from depression or suicidal thoughts,” said Assemblymember O’Donnell. “AB 2246 protects students going through difficult economic, physical or social challenges by ensuring teachers are trained to identify warning signs.”
The adoption of such plans is especially crucial to LGBT teens, who face bullying, harassment and a general lack of acceptance that may often lead to depression.
“Research shows that LGBT youth are up to four times more likely to attempt suicide than their straight peers, yet California is among just a handful of states that do not require that all schools have suicide prevention policies to protect our kids,” said Rick Zbur, Executive Director of Equality California. “This bill will help get teachers the resources they need to recognize and support at-risk students.”
“The Trevor Project is dedicated to co-lead this effort to ensure that educators in California are able to protect youth, including LGBTQ students, in their schools. We believe that this bill will set a precedent that will be a model for the rest of the country,” stated Abbe Land, Executive Director & CEO of The Trevor Project. “We thank Assemblymember Patrick O’Donnell for introducing this ground-breaking bill.”
According to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, suicide is the second leading cause of death among young people aged 10 to 24.
The bill now awaits referral to its first policy committee.
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Equality California is the nation’s largest statewide lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender civil rights organization dedicated to creating a fair and just society. Our mission is to achieve and maintain full and lasting equality, acceptance and social justice for all people in our diverse LGBT communities, inside and outside of California. Our mission includes advancing the health and well-being of LGBT Californians through direct healthcare service advocacy and education. Through electoral, advocacy, education and mobilization programs, we strive to create a broad and diverse alliance of LGBT people, educators, government officials, communities of color and faith, labor, business, and social justice communities to achieve our goals. www.eqca.org
About The Trevor Project
Founded in 1998 by the creators of the Academy Award®-winning short film TREVOR, The Trevor Project is the leading national organization providing crisis intervention and suicide prevention services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning (LGBTQ) young people ages 13-24. Every day, The Trevor Project saves young lives through its accredited, free and confidential phone, instant message, and text messaging crisis intervention services. A leader and innovator in suicide prevention, The Trevor Project offers the largest safe social networking community for LGBTQ youth, best practice suicide prevention educational trainings, resources for youth and adults, and advocacy initiatives.
