HB 356 — An Act amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, in terms and courses of study, further providing for youth suicide awareness and prevention and providing for violence prevention and social inclusion.

PRINTER'S NO.   310

                     THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA



                         HOUSE BILL
                         No. 356
                                               Session of
                                                 2025

     INTRODUCED BY MUNROE, KHAN, HANBIDGE, GIRAL, KENYATTA, SANCHEZ,
        GUENST, CEPEDA-FREYTIZ, SCHLOSSBERG, HILL-EVANS, FRANKEL,
        GREEN, MADDEN, ISAACSON, DONAHUE AND HOWARD, JANUARY 27, 2025

     REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON EDUCATION, JANUARY 27, 2025


                                    AN ACT
 1   Amending the act of March 10, 1949 (P.L.30, No.14), entitled "An
 2      act relating to the public school system, including certain
 3      provisions applicable as well to private and parochial
 4      schools; amending, revising, consolidating and changing the
 5      laws relating thereto," in terms and courses of study,
 6      further providing for youth suicide awareness and prevention
 7      and providing for violence prevention and social inclusion.
 8      This act may be referred to as the Safety and Violence
 9   Education for Students (SAVE Students) Act.
10      The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
11   hereby enacts as follows:
12      Section 1.    Section 1526 of the act of March 10, 1949
13   (P.L.30, No.14), known as the Public School Code of 1949, is
14   amended by adding a subsection to read:
15      Section 1526.    Youth Suicide Awareness and Prevention.--* * *
16      (c.1)   The following shall apply to school personnel and
17   student suicide awareness and prevention training:
18      (1)   The department shall require a school entity serving
19   students in grades six through twelve to provide students at
20   least one (1) hour, or one (1) standard class period, of
 1   evidence-based suicide awareness and prevention training each
 2   school year. The following shall apply:
 3      (i)     The training may be delivered in person or digitally.
 4      (ii)     The training shall begin within two (2) years of the
 5   development of the list required under paragraph (2).
 6      (iii)     Training programs that combine the training
 7   requirements under this subsection and section 1526.1(a) may be
 8   used to fulfill the requirements of this subsection.
 9      (2)     Within one (1) year of the effective date of this
10   paragraph, the department shall develop a list of evidence-based
11   trainings and materials, including no-cost programming, if any,
12   to fulfill the requirements of this subsection. At a minimum,
13   the trainings shall:
14      (i)     Teach school personnel how to identify the signs and
15   signals of depression, suicide and self-injury in students and
16   when and how to refer youth and their families to appropriate
17   mental health services for assessment within the school entity
18   and the community.
19      (ii)     Teach students how to identify the signs and signals of
20   depression, suicide and self-injury in themselves and their
21   peers, the importance of seeking help for themselves and their
22   peers and the process for seeking help.
23      (3)     The department shall make the list under paragraph (2)
24   available on the department's publicly accessible Internet
25   website.
26      (4)     For purposes of this subsection, the term "evidence-
27   based" is defined as in section 1526.1(e).
28      * * *
29      Section 2.     The act is amended by adding a section to read:
30      Section 1526.1.     Violence Prevention and Social Inclusion.--

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 1   (a)    The following shall apply to student safety and violence
 2   prevention training:
 3         (1)    The department shall require a school entity serving
 4   students in grades six through twelve to provide students at
 5   least one (1) hour, or one (1) standard class period, of
 6   evidence-based youth violence prevention training each school
 7   year. The following shall apply:
 8         (i)    The training may be delivered in person or digitally.
 9         (ii)    The training shall begin within two (2) years of the
10   development of the list required under paragraph (2).
11         (iii)    Training programs that combine the training
12   requirements under this subsection and section 1526(c.1) may be
13   used to fulfill the training requirements of this subsection.
14         (2)    Within one (1) year of the effective date of this
15   paragraph, the department shall develop a list of evidence-based
16   trainings and materials, including no-cost programming, if any,
17   to fulfill the requirements of this subsection. At a minimum,
18   the trainings shall teach students the following:
19         (i)    How to identify observable warning signs and signals of
20   an individual who may be a threat to the individual or others.
21         (ii)    The importance of taking threats seriously and seeking
22   help.
23         (iii)    The steps that can be taken to report dangerous,
24   violent, threatening, harmful or potentially harmful activity.
25         (3)    The department shall make the list under paragraph (2)
26   available on the department's publicly accessible Internet
27   website.
28         (b)    The following shall apply to student social inclusion
29   training:
30         (1)    The department shall require a school entity serving

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 1   students in kindergarten through grade twelve to provide
 2   students at least one (1) hour, or one (1) standard class
 3   period, of evidence-based social inclusion training each school
 4   year. The following shall apply:
 5      (i)     The training may be delivered in person or digitally.
 6      (ii)    The training shall begin within two (2) years of the
 7   development of the list required under paragraph (2).
 8      (2)     Within one (1) year of the effective date of this
 9   paragraph, the department shall develop a list of evidence-based
10   trainings and materials, including no-cost programming, if any,
11   to fulfill the requirements of this subsection. At a minimum,
12   the trainings shall teach students the following:
13      (i)     What social isolation is and how to identify social
14   isolation in others.
15      (ii)    The importance of taking social isolation seriously and
16   seeking help for peers.
17      (iii)    How to utilize strategies to be more socially
18   inclusive in the classroom and community and to establish
19   connections with peers.
20      (3)     The department shall make the list under paragraph (2)
21   available on the department's publicly accessible Internet
22   website.
23      (c)     The following shall apply to student-led violence
24   prevention clubs:
25      (1)     Within one (1) year of the effective date of this
26   paragraph, the department shall require a school entity serving
27   students in kindergarten through grade twelve to designate a
28   student-led violence prevention club that:
29      (i)     is open to all members of the student body of the school
30   entity; and

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 1      (ii)    has at least one (1) identified adult advisor of the
 2   club.
 3      (2)    At a minimum, a student-led violence prevention club
 4   shall do the following:
 5      (i)    Sustain awareness activities related to suicide
 6   prevention, violence prevention and social inclusion trainings.
 7      (ii)    Foster opportunities for student leadership
 8   development.
 9      (d)    To offset any costs associated with the implementation
10   of the requirements of subsections (a), (b) and (c), the
11   department shall, to the extent practicable, apply for any
12   Federal or State funding made available to the department for
13   the purposes of improving school safety.
14      (e)    As used in this section, the following words and phrases
15   shall have the meanings given to them in this subsection unless
16   the context clearly indicates otherwise:
17      "Department."    The Department of Education of the
18   Commonwealth.
19      "Evidence-based."    A program or practice that demonstrates
20   any of the following:
21      (1)    A statistically significant effect on relevant outcomes
22   based on any of the following:
23      (i)    Strong evidence from not fewer than one (1) well-
24   designed and well-implemented experimental study.
25      (ii)    Moderate evidence from not fewer than one (1) well-
26   designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study.
27      (iii)    Promising evidence from not fewer than one (1) well-
28   designed and well-implemented correlational study with
29   statistical controls for selection bias.
30      (2)    A rationale based on high-quality research findings or

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1   positive evaluation that the program or practice is likely to
2   improve relevant outcomes, which shall also include the ongoing
3   efforts to examine the effects of the program or practice.
4      "School entity."   A school district, joint school district,
5   charter school, regional charter school, cyber charter school,
6   intermediate unit or area career and technical school.
7      Section 3.   This act shall take effect immediately.




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