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Mental Health Curriculum for K-12 Education Passes Senate
JUNEAU - Today, the Alaska Senate passed Senate Bill 24, which seeks to include mental health education in the existing K-12 health curriculum to inform students of vital information about mental health symptoms, resources, and treatment. Sponsored by Senator Elvi Gray-Jackson, D-Anchorage, the legislation requires the Department of Education and Early Development and Department of Family and Community Services, in conjunction with the Department of Health, to coordinate with representatives of national, state, and tribal mental health organizations to develop curriculum guidelines.
The standards will also have input from parents, teachers, school administrators, and other mental health organizations to form effective guidelines for school boards, teachers, and students.
“We all have gone through our teenage years. Many of us have also seen our kids go through this period of their lives, and we know it can be a very confusing time for them. Hormones, peer pressure, home situations, and many other factors contribute to our youth’s mental health – good and bad,” said Sen. Gray-Jackson. “It is important to intervene early and educate our youth in our schools on mental health, remove the stigmas that society has placed on mental health, and provide them a comfortable path to talk with someone and receive treatment. These issues should not go buried or left to inadequate internet searches anymore.”
Fifty percent of all lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14. The vast majority of these students lack mental health treatment. In 2019, at 28.7 deaths per 100,000 people, Alaska’s suicide rate doubled the national average. Adding to that heartbreaking statistic, the leading cause of death for 15 to 24-year-olds was suicide.
The legislation is similar to Senator Gray-Jackson’s and Senator Matt Claman’s, D-Anchorage, efforts in 2022, which ultimately did not make it to final legislative approval because of legislative session time restraints. The legislation was passed the Senate by a vote of 15-4. The bill now heads to the House of Representatives for consideration.
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