File #: Int 0996-2024    Version: Name: Peer-based mental health literacy trainings for students.
Type: Introduction Status: Enacted (Mayor's Desk for Signature)
Committee: Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction
On agenda: 7/18/2024
Enactment date: Law number:
Title: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to peer-based mental health literacy trainings for students
Sponsors: Althea V. Stevens, Lincoln Restler, Justin L. Brannan, Gale A. Brewer, Shahana K. Hanif, Tiffany Cabán, Shaun Abreu, Erik D. Bottcher, Lynn C. Schulman, Farah N. Louis, Alexa Avilés, Amanda Farías, Carlina Rivera , Chris Banks, Jennifer Gutiérrez, Julie Won
Council Member Sponsors: 16
Summary: This bill would require the Commissioner of Health and Mental Hygiene to offer to public middle and high school students a peer-based mental health literacy training. The training would include instruction on identifying common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges, interacting with peers experiencing mental health distress, and locating and accessing mental health resources. Additionally, the bill would require the Commissioner, in coordination with the Chancellor of New York City Public Schools, to submit a report on this training to the Mayor and Speaker of the Council and post this report online. Finally, the Department of Education would have to distribute informational materials concerning the availability of this training to public middle and high schools each academic year for distribution to students.
Indexes: Report Required
Attachments: 1. Summary of Int. No. 996-A, 2. Summary of Int. No. 996, 3. Int. No. 996, 4. July 18, 2024 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 5. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 7-18-24, 6. Committee Report 11/25/24, 7. Hearing Testimony 11/25/24, 8. Hearing Transcript 11/25/24, 9. Proposed Int. No. 996-A - 1/16/24, 10. Committee Report 1/22/25, 11. Hearing Transcript 1/22/25, 12. Fiscal Impact Statement - City Council, 13. January 23, 2025 - Stated Meeting Agenda, 14. Hearing Transcript - Stated Meeting 1-23-25
Date Ver.Prime SponsorAction ByActionResultAction DetailsMeeting DetailsMultimedia
1/23/2025AAlthea V. Stevens City Council Sent to Mayor by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
1/23/2025AAlthea V. Stevens City Council Approved by CouncilPass Action details Meeting details Not available
1/22/2025*Althea V. Stevens Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
1/22/2025*Althea V. Stevens Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction Amendment Proposed by Comm  Action details Meeting details Not available
1/22/2025*Althea V. Stevens Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction Amended by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
1/22/2025AAlthea V. Stevens Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction Approved by CommitteePass Action details Meeting details Not available
11/25/2024*Althea V. Stevens Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction Hearing Held by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
11/25/2024*Althea V. Stevens Committee on Mental Health, Disabilities and Addiction Laid Over by Committee  Action details Meeting details Not available
7/18/2024*Althea V. Stevens City Council Referred to Comm by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available
7/18/2024*Althea V. Stevens City Council Introduced by Council  Action details Meeting details Not available

Int. No. 996-A

 

By Council Members Stevens, Restler, Brannan, Brewer, Hanif, Cabán, Abreu, Bottcher, Schulman, Louis, Avilés, Farías, Rivera, Banks, Gutiérrez and Won

 

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to peer-based mental health literacy trainings for students

 

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

 

Section 1. Chapter 1 of title 17 of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 17-199.28 to read as follows:

§ 17-199.28 Peer-based mental health literacy trainings. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Age-appropriate. The term “age-appropriate” means topics, messages and teaching methods suitable to particular ages or age groups of students, based on developing cognitive, emotional and behavioral capacity typical for the age or age group.

Middle and high school. The term “middle and high school” means any school of the city school district that contains any combination of grades from grade 6 through grade 12.

Student. The term “student” means any pupil under the age of 21 as of September 1 of the relevant academic year who does not have a high school diploma and who is enrolled in grade 6 or higher.

b. No later than 1 year after the effective date of the local law that added this section, the commissioner shall facilitate the offering of an evidence-based and age-appropriate peer-based mental health literacy training for students in middle and high schools. Such training shall involve:

1. The instruction of middle and high school students on how to identify common signs and symptoms of mental health and substance use challenges;

2. The instruction of middle and high school students on how to interact with a peer experiencing mental health distress; and

3. Information on available mental health resources and instruction on accessing such resources.

c. 1. No later than 2 years after the effective date of the local law that added this section the commissioner, in coordination with the chancellor of the city school district, shall submit to the mayor and the speaker of the council, and post on the department’s website, a report on the peer-based mental health literacy training required under subdivision b of this section. Such report shall include, but need not be limited to, the following information:

(a) An overview of such training, including the scope of topics covered;

(b) The total number of middle and high school students who participated in such training in the previous year;

(c) The total number of schools that offered such training;

(d) The total number of schools that participated in such training; 

(e) A narrative description of any feedback received from student participants after completing such training; and

(f) A description of any challenges encountered during the facilitation of such training.

2. No information that is required to be reported pursuant to this subdivision shall be reported in a manner that would violate any applicable provision of federal, state, or local law relating to the privacy of student information or that would interfere with law enforcement investigations or otherwise conflict with the interests of law enforcement. If a category contains between 1 and 5 students, or contains an amount that would allow another category that contains between 1 and 5 students to be deduced, the number shall be replaced with a symbol. A category that contains zero shall be reported as zero, unless such reporting would violate any applicable provision of federal, state, or local law relating to the privacy of student information.

§ 2. Chapter 8 of title 21-a of the administrative code of the city of New York is amended by adding a new section 21-969.2 to read as follows:

§ 21-969.2 Distribution of informational materials on peer-based mental health literacy trainings for students. a. Definitions. For purposes of this section, the following terms have the following meanings:

Middle and high school. The term “middle and high school” means any school of the city school district that contains any combination of grades from grade 6 through grade 12.

Student. The term “student” means any pupil under the age of 21 as of September 1 of the relevant academic year who does not have a high school diploma and who is enrolled in grade 6 or higher.

b. 1. Each academic year, the department shall distribute to each middle and high school, for distribution to each student of such school, materials containing information on the peer-based mental health literacy training offering facilitated by the commissioner of health and mental hygiene pursuant to section 17-199.28.

2. Such materials shall include, but need not be limited to, the following information:

(a) An overview of such training, including its purpose and the scope of topics covered;

(b) Details on where middle and high school students can participate in such training and any steps such students need to take in order to participate in such training; and

(c) Contact information for relevant staff at the department of health and mental hygiene who can provide additional information on such training.

3. The department shall post such materials on its website.

4. The department shall make all such materials available in English and in each of the designated citywide languages, as such term is defined in section 23-1101.

§ 3. This local law takes effect immediately.

 

JL

LS #14109

1/15/2025 9:41 PM