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Mrs. Ruby Lee Ramos retired from San Felipe Consolidated Independent School District SFDR-CISD back in 2018 and this year decided to return to work at Heritage Academy in Del Rio as a part-time counselor. Mrs. Ramos has 39 years of experience in the counseling and educational field making her the best candidate for this interview.

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Professional Perspective: I have been a Special Education resource/inclusion teacher for three years and am currently working on my last semester for Professional School Counselor before graduation on December 2022.

Description of Audience: In this presentation, I hope to reach those who are currently pursuing a degree in counseling or administration and those who would like to learn a little more about education and laws that are attached to education.

Topic of Legal Guide: Senate Bill 279: This law requires that public school student ID cards issued to students in grades six or higher include contact information for suicide prevention lifelines, crisis text lines, and local suicide prevention hotlines if there are any.

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1) Why the Legal Guide topic is important in your field of education or how it is impacting your field of education? As a counselor with 39 years of experience I have seen and heard the word suicide in my career probably more than a million times. I am impressed to know how as years advanced we talk about suicide more openly that way back when I started my career. As someone who has worked with numerous leaders and administrators, some administrators have never allowed us to openly offer students help or direct them directly to resources, so this is completely new to me, but I am confident it will be a game changer and would have been amazing in the past. (R. Ramos, personal communication, September 12,2022)

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Mrs. Ramos mentioned that it is very important to know the rules and regulations of the school district you are working for before offering services or help to students. Mrs. Ramos stated that all districts and administrators work differently and some administrators don't want to open direct students or parents to specific resources because they feel it is not appropriate. Of course, there are administrators that will go above and beyond to help parents and students and not only hand them a handbook full of resources, leaving them confused about what to do next with their student. (R. Ramos, personal communication, September 12,2022)

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3) an area emerging issue related to your topic that educators should watch to see how it plays out and impacts your work? 

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3) an area emerging issue related to your topic that educators should watch to see how it plays out and impacts your work? 

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Mrs. Ramos feels that Senate Bill 279 will make a big impact for students and even counselors that are working with suicidal students. Mrs. Ramos mentioned that in the past, counselors would struggle to help students directly due to rules and regulations often directed by administrators and school districts. Speaking openly about this issue and especially directing them to the help they need or where they can get help will be exceptional for students and will help lower suicide rates all across the nation.

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ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors

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ASCA Ethical Standards for School Counselors

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The Ethical Standards for School Counselors proposes in the A.5. Section: Sustaining Healthy Relationships
and Managing Boundaries: Provide alternative service or resource options and/or facilitate the availability of other resources when available to students and stakeholders whose judgment may be compromised by the school counselor's actions (ASCA, 2022). In relation to fully supporting SB 279, ASCA is the complete guide to standards and regulations for school counselors and can be found in the following link: https://www.schoolcounselor.org/getmedia/44f30280-ffe8-4b41-9ad8-f15909c3d164/EthicalStandards.pdf

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New laws in South Carolina, Illinois, Arizona put National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number on student ID cards. Turlock Unified School District

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Teen suicide rates have been rising recently and some states are trying to make it easier for students to get help, right in the palm of their hand.

New laws in South Carolina, Illinois and Arizona are putting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number on student ID cards and one mom says the law could be lifesaving.

Nine years ago, Jenny Morales of Elgin, S.C., lost one of her three children to suicide.

"March 17, 2012. That day will haunt me the rest of my life," she said.

Morales' daughter, Tiera Chanelle Hopkins, was 16 years old at the time of her death. She loved dancing and made everyone around her laugh. But she told friends she had thoughts of suicide.

"She cried to them a lot," Morales said.

Morales said friends eventually told a teacher about Tiera's thoughts, but the teacher believed the feelings would pass, she said. No one ever told Morales about her daughter's struggle.

"But if they had, she'd still be here," Morales said.

Teens like Tiera led South Carolina lawmakers to sign the law last month, requiring the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number to be put on student ID cards for seventh through twelfth graders and college students. Similar moves were also made in Arizona and Illinois this summer. California has required the lifeline to be on student IDs since 2019.

"I think it was a huge win," Morales said. "We have to have those resources readily available. I think it should be plastered all over the schools."

"That's important, infusing that hope that there is someone on the other end of the telephone," said Jennifer Butler, the program director of the South Carolina Department of Mental Health Office of Suicide Prevention.

An example of a student ID card with the suicide prevention hotline.

Michigan Association of Secondary Schools

Butler helped write the law and says the number of young people age 10 to 19 dying by suicide in South Carolina increased every year from 2015 to 2019. She says the large majority are male.

"The youngest caller to the lifeline this year in South Carolina was 7 years old," Butler said.

According to the CDC, between 2007 and 2018, the national suicide rate among people aged 10-24 increased 57 percent. It's hard to pinpoint why the rate has gone up, but Butler points out that everybody has their own challenges.

"Be the one that reaches out and says 'help me,' that's a sign of courage and a sign of strength," Butler said.

Both Morales and Butler stressed that no matter what a person is going through, there is always hope.

"Speak with your teens, talk to them and don't just talk. Listen," Morales said.

The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline can be reached by calling 800-273-8255.

For those who don't want to speak to a counselor, there's also a national Crisis Text Line available 24/7 by texting "home" to 741741.

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Suicide Prevention Lifeline will be printed on student ID cards in several states

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COLUMBIA, S.C. - Teen suicide rates have been rising recently and some states are trying to make it easier for students to get help, right in the palm of their hand. New laws in South Carolina, Illinois and Arizona are putting the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline number on student ID cards and one mom says the law could be lifesaving.

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American Foundation for Suicide Prevention

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Texas' suicide prevention activities are housed within the state's Health and Human Services Commission's (HHSC) Office of Mental Health Coordination in partnership with the Texas Suicide Prevention Collaborative, a broad-based membership group of statewide agencies and organizations, local university campuses, military and Veteran groups, community suicide prevention coalitions, and many other stakeholders across the state working to reduce suicides in Texas. The Collaborative, with support from HHSC, oversees updates to and implementation of the Texas State Plan for Suicide Prevention: Guidelines for Suicide Prevention in Texas, most recently updated in 2018.

In 2003, Texas Health and Safety Code 533.040(c) created a school suicide prevention liaison, followed by a bill in 2015 to increase the visibility and focus of the liaison, and making the position the state's suicide prevention coordinator. This position now serves as the suicide prevention team lead, which includes a Zero Suicide Safer Care coordinator, a suicide prevention specialist focused on K-12 behavioral health coordination and suicide prevention, an epidemiologist/suicide prevention policy, programs, and outcomes specialist, and a Veteran mental health and suicide prevention coordinator.

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Texas' suicide prevention activities are housed within the state's Health and Human Services Commission's (HHSC) Office of Mental Health Coordination in partnership with the Texas Suicide Prevention Collaborative, a broad-based membership group of statewide agencies and organizations, local university campuses, military and Veteran groups, community suicide prevention coalitions, and many other stakeholders across the state working to reduce suicides in Texas.

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Congress passed The Suicide Prevention Act on 5/12/2021, which establishes two grant programs to prevent self-harm and suicide. To increase surveillance of self-harm, state, local, and tribal health departments must receive grants from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and hospital emergency departments must receive grants from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to implement programs to prevent suicide attempts after discharge.  https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr2955/BILLS-117hr2955rfs.xml

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Because suicide is associated with substance abuse, the council shall, in preparing the statewide behavioral health strategic plan, include strategies regarding substance abuse issues that are developed by the council in cooperation with the Texas Medical Board and the Texas State Board of Pharmacy as a separate part of that plan.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE



TITLE 2. HEALTH



SUBTITLE E. HEALTH CARE COUNCILS AND RESOURCE CENTERS



CHAPTER 109. STATEWIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COORDINATING COUNCIL



Sec. 109.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "council" means the Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council.


Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1167 (H.B. 3285), Sec. 5, eff. September 1, 2019.


Sec. 109.002. STATEWIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH STRATEGIC PLAN. In preparing the statewide behavioral health strategic plan, the council shall incorporate, as a separate part of that plan, strategies regarding substance abuse issues that are developed by the council in cooperation with the Texas Medical Board and the Texas State Board of Pharmacy, including strategies for:


(1) addressing the challenges of existing prevention, intervention, and treatment programs;


(2) evaluating substance use disorder prevalence involving the abuse of opioids;


(3) identifying substance abuse treatment services availability and gaps; and


(4) collaborating with state agencies to expand substance abuse treatment services capacity in this state.


Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1167 (H.B. 3285), Sec. 5, eff. September 1, 2019.

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HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE CHAPTER 109. STATEWIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COORDINATING COUNCIL

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HEALTH AND SAFETY CODE TITLE 2. HEALTH SUBTITLE E. HEALTH CARE COUNCILS AND RESOURCE CENTERS CHAPTER 109. STATEWIDE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH COORDINATING COUNCIL Sec. 109.001. DEFINITION. In this chapter, "council" means the Statewide Behavioral Health Coordinating Council. Added by Acts 2019, 86th Leg., R.S., Ch. 1167 (H.B. 3285), Sec. 5, eff.

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The New York City Department of Education appealed a judgment from the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York. A district court ruled that the NYC Department of Education denied L.K. FAPE according to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

As a student with a disability, L.K. received special education as well as services in a 'Collaborative Team Teaching' class, which was taught by both special education and general education teachers. While she was making progress during the school year, other students began bullying her. There was Physical abuse took place as well, but bullying mainly involved name-calling, avoiding physical contact, and drawing demeaning pictures of her teachers did little to stop the bullying. The bullying began to affect L.K.’s academic and non-academic performance.

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As part of bullying, one or more of the following can occur: harassment, threats, intimidation, stalking, physical violence, sexual harassment, sexual violence, theft, public humiliation, destruction of property, or retaliation for asserting or alleging bullying. In addition to being illustrative, this list does not aim to be comprehensive. Teen suicide hotlines address bullying as a major component when contacting teens.

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Illinois Compiled Statutes
ILCS Listing Public Acts Search Guide Disclaimer

Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law. For information concerning the relationship between statutes and Public Acts, refer to the Guide.

Because the statute database is maintained primarily for legislative drafting purposes, statutory changes are sometimes included in the statute database before they take effect. If the source note at the end of a Section of the statutes includes a Public Act that has not yet taken effect, the version of the law that is currently in effect may have already been removed from the database and you should refer to that Public Act to see the changes made to the current law.

105 ILCS 5/27-23.7

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Illinois General Assembly - Illinois Compiled Statutes

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Illinois Compiled Statutes ILCS Listing Public Acts Search Guide Disclaimer Information maintained by the Legislative Reference Bureau Updating the database of the Illinois Compiled Statutes (ILCS) is an ongoing process. Recent laws may not yet be included in the ILCS database, but they are found on this site as Public Acts soon after they become law.

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In accordance with the First Amendment, a school may prohibit students and spectators from engaging in conduct or speech that insults, intimidates or harasses others at school-sponsored events. Schools may adopt and enforce reasonable rules and regulations governing spectators' conduct at extracurricular activities in accordance with court decisions. Conversely, the school is the government, and whenever the government regulates speech, the First Amendment is implicated. School rules and discipline apply to students at a school-sponsored event. Whatever the case, schools can (and should) prevent students from engaging in insulting or intimidating behavior, regardless of whether the First Amendment applies.

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Although no federal law directly addresses bullying, in some cases, bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment when it is based on race, national origin, color, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), age, disability, or religion. Federally-funded schools (including colleges and universities) have an obligation to resolve harassment on these bases.

When the situation is not adequately resolved, consider:

Unfortunately, sometimes behaviors can become criminal. For example, when a violent crime or threat to commit such crime is motivated by bias against a person or group with specific characteristics, then it is called a hate crime. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, at the federal level, a hate crime is any crime motivated by bias against race, color, religion, national origin, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, or disability.

Are there federal laws that apply to bullying?

At present, no federal law directly addresses bullying. In some cases, bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment, which is covered under federal civil rights laws enforced by the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). No matter what label is used (e.g., bullying, hazing, teasing), schools are obligated by these laws to address the conduct when it meets all three criteria below. It is:

Unwelcome and objectively offensive, such as derogatory language, intimidation, threats, physical contact, or physical violence;

Creates a hostile environment at school. That is, it is sufficiently serious that it interferes with or limits a student's ability to participate in or benefit from the services, activities, or opportunities offered by a school; and is

Based on a student's race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or religion

Sex includes sexual orientation, gender identity, and intersex traits. Sex also includes sex-based stereotypes and sexual harassment.

National origin harassment can include harassment because a student speaks another language.

DOJ also has jurisdiction to enforce Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which addresses certain equal protection violations based on religion in public schools. Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, enforced by both ED and DOJ, does not explicitly identify religion as a basis for prohibited discrimination. But religious-based harassment is often based on shared ancestry of ethnic characteristics, which is covered under Title VI.

What are the federal civil rights laws ED and DOJ enforce?

The types of discrimination prohibited in schools are the same types of discrimination that federal civil rights laws prohibit. A school that fails to respond appropriately to harassment of students based on a protected class may be violating one or more civil rights laws enforced by the ED and the DOJ, including:

Do federal civil rights laws cover harassment of LGBTQI+ youth?

Yes, ED and DOJ have clarified that Title IX's prohibition against sex discrimination includes discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

ED/DOJ has developed this resource, Confronting Anti-LGBTQI+ Harassment in Schools, to help students, parents, and educators understand their rights and actions to take.

All students should be guaranteed an educational environment free from discrimination on the basis of sex, including discrimination in the form of sexual harassment, which encompasses sexual violence, and including discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity.

DOJ also enforces rights protected under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment under certain circumstances. Discrimination based on sex, including sexual orientation and gender identity, may violate LGBTQI+ students' constitutional rights.

If you face discrimination or harassment at school because of your sex, sexual orientation, and/or gender identity, you can file a complaint with ED's Office for Civil Rights. You can also report civil rights violations with DOJ. The information is available in multiple languages.

What are a school's obligations regarding harassment based on protected classes?

Anyone can report harassing conduct to a school. When a school receives a complaint they must take certain steps to investigate and resolve the situation.

Take immediate and appropriate action to investigate or otherwise determine what happened.

Inquiry must be prompt, thorough, and impartial.

Interview targeted students, students or staff alleged to have engaged in harassment, and witnesses, and maintain written documentation of investigation.

Communicate with targeted students regarding steps taken to end harassment.

Check in with targeted students to ensure that harassment has ceased.

When an investigation reveals that harassment has occurred, a school should take steps reasonably calculated to:

End the harassment,

Eliminate any hostile environment,

Prevent harassment from recurring,

As appropriate, remedy the effects of the harassment, and

Prevent retaliation against the targeted student(s), complainant(s), or witnesses.

What should a school do to resolve a harassment complaint?

School must be an active participant in responding to harassment and should take reasonable steps when crafting remedies to minimize burdens on the targeted students.

Appropriate responses will depend on the facts of each case and may include:

Developing, revising, and publicizing:

Policy prohibiting harassment and discrimination;

Grievance procedure for students to file harassment complaints;

Contact information for Title IX coordinators and others responsible for compliance with Section 504 and Title VI

Training staff and administration on how to identify, report, and address harassment;

Providing monitors or additional adult supervision in areas where harassment occurs;

Determining consequences and services for harassers, including whether discipline is appropriate;

Limiting interactions between harassers and targets;

Providing targeted student an additional opportunity to obtain a benefit that was denied (e.g., retaking a test/class); and

Providing services to a student who was denied a benefit (e.g., academic support services).

Schools don't have to wait until behavior creates a hostile environment to act and may respond to misconduct based on a protected class as soon as they learn of it.

Are there resources for schools to assist with resolving harassment complaints?

DOJ's Community Relations Service is a "peacemaker" for community conflicts and tensions arising from differences of race, color, and national origin and to prevent and respond to violent hate crimes committed on the basis of: gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, disability, race, color, and national origin. It is a free, impartial, confidential, and voluntary Federal Agency that offers mediation, conciliation, technical assistance, and training.

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Although no federal law directly addresses bullying, in some cases, bullying overlaps with discriminatory harassment when it is based on race, national origin, color, sex (including sexual orientation and gender identity), age, disability, or religion. Federally-funded schools (including colleges and universities) have an obligation to resolve harassment on these bases.

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As a District, we are committed to supporting the health of our students in all aspects including physical, emotional, and behavioral. In accordance with Section 153.1013 of Title 19 of the Texas Administrative Code, SFDRCISD provides suicide prevention training to educators as required by Section 21.451(d) of the Texas Education Code. While SFDRCISD is not legally required to develop practices and procedures concerning student suicide prevention, the Board of Trustees has determined that the development of a Student Suicide Prevention policy is in the best interest of students and is in furtherance of SFDRCISD’s goal to provide an environment that fosters positive student development.

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As counselors we must recognize vulnerability and confidentiality in terms of a student's personal reasons in attempts or sings of being suicidal. Navigating the appropriate resources for students and their families is an important component of professionalism.

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I automatically felt a connection when investigating Senate Bill 279 because as a middle school student I struggled with depression and suicidal thoughts. At times, when we grow up we want to become the total opposite of how our life was when growing up. This is specifically what happened to me, I wanted to grow up to be a professional and have a good life and good mental health. As a professional, I feel that these resources will now help students like myself. I wish that I would've had open resources like these to advocate for my own mental health and ask for the help I needed instead of navigating the unknown and expecting the unexpected. After interviewing a person with so much expertise I came to a conclusion that Bills like these are only making our life and our student's life easier to manage.

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*Adopt a "packaged" suicide prevention program or include suicide education in the academic curriculum.
*Programs related to suicide prevention can be incorporated into social studies, health, and physical education courses.
*Besides being taught as a regular program, these programs can also be taught as a special program. There are numerous programs that can be taught to reduce stress and solve problems.Students may receive lectures, discuss relevant issues, watch films, or take part in discussion groups (on topics such as growth, emotions, social skills, depression, suicide, drugs, and alcohol, for example).
*Stress and competition should be reduced. Revision of homework, tests, projects, papers, and sports should be done to make them more appealing to students.
*Students are more likely to succeed if they have realistic and positive expectations.
*Students should also be educated regarding adolescent suicide, while those adults who encounter adolescents should be prepared to recognize and respond appropriately to pre-suicidal and suicidal behaviors.
* A working knowledge of suicide warning signs is essential for everyone who works with adolescents.
*As counselors and teachers are in daily contact with their students and can observe overt changes in their behavior and hear “cries for help”, they should also receive training in active listening skills.
*By referring at-risk students to those trained to deal with these issues, they can act as the frontline of suicide prevention. Students who are considering suicide should also know about the outside community resources available to them.
*Teaching students about the various resources demonstrates the counselors and school's genuine concern for them and gives them hope in dealing with life's challenges.
*The school's policy and procedures regarding responding to suicidal threats should be known in advance. Having this knowledge will not only help students, but may help avoid lawsuits as well.

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This article interviews a series of parents and students and mentions the importance of having life-lines to prevent future suicides in our schools. This ill be a game changer for most students and campuses around the nation who's states have adopted this Bill.

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School personnel have a legal and ethical responsibility to recognize and respond to suicidal thinking and behavior. Schools must have clear policies and procedures for what to do, as well as trained school-employed mental health professionals and crisis response teams. Although many suicidal children and adolescents do not self-refer, most show some warning signs. Never ignore these signs. Suicide prevention should be an integral component of a multi-tiered system of mental health and safety supports.