STATEHOUSE (April 4, 2017) – A bill sponsored by State Sen. Randy Head (R-Logansport) aimed at preventing suicide recently passed the Senate by a vote of 47-0.
House Bill 1430 would require teachers and other employees of public, nonpublic and charter schools who work with students in grades five through 12 to complete a suicide prevention training program every three years.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death for Hoosiers age 15-24, and Indiana leads the nation in the number of high school students considering suicide, according to the most recent data.
“Too many Hoosier teens are taking their own lives,” Head said. “Because teachers are around their students five days a week, we need to ensure they are able to recognize suicidal actions and behaviors to help put an end to these preventable deaths.”
HB 1430 would also require the Division of Mental Health and Addiction to create a statewide suicide prevention program and hire a coordinator to oversee it.
HB 1430 passed the House of Representatives in February by a vote of 94-0. The bill will now move back to the House with amendments.
-30-
A high resolution photo of Head can be found here.
Contact: Molly Swigart, Press Secretary
molly.swigart@iga.in.gov
317.232.9498
Lindsey Ross, Press Secretary Intern
lindsey.ross@iga.in.gov
