Nixon signs youth suicide prevention bill

After speaking at the Missouri Department of Mental Health’s Spring Training summit today, Gov. Jay Nixon signed a student safety bill into law.

House Bill 1583 is designed to help prevent cyber bullying and you suicide. It allows licensed educators, starting in the 2017-2018 school year, to annually complete up to two hours of training or professional development in youth suicide awareness and prevention.

These hours would satisfy a few of the required hours for professional development.

“Every student should feel safe at school, and every teacher should have the resources and training needed to keep them safe,” Nixonsaid. “This is an important piece of legislation that can improve and save lives, and I appreciate the work of the Legislature to bring it to my desk.”

The new law directs the State Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish guidelines and training materials. Each school district will also be required to have policies in place on youth suicide awareness and prevention.

The legislation also clarifies the definition of bullying and provides a definition for cyber-bullying.