Montana Code 20-7-1310. Youth suicide awareness and prevention training
20-7-1310. Youth suicide awareness and prevention training. (1) This section may be cited as the “Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training Act”.
Terms Used In Montana Code 20-7-1310
- district: means the territory, regardless of county boundaries, organized under the provisions of this title to provide public educational services under the jurisdiction of the trustees prescribed by this title. See Montana Code 20-6-101
- Person: includes a corporation or other entity as well as a natural person. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- school: means an institution for the teaching of children that is established and maintained under the laws of the state of Montana at public expense. See Montana Code 20-6-501
- State: when applied to the different parts of the United States, includes the District of Columbia and the territories. See Montana Code 1-1-201
- Trustees: means the governing board of a district. See Montana Code 20-1-101
(2)The office of public instruction shall provide guidance and technical assistance to Montana schools on youth suicide awareness and prevention training materials. All training materials offered must be approved by the office of public instruction, meet the standards for professional development in the state, and be periodically reviewed by a qualified person or committee for consistency with generally accepted principles of youth suicide awareness and prevention training.
(3)The legislature recommends that youth suicide awareness and prevention training be made available annually to each employee of a school district and to staff of the office of public instruction who work directly with any students enrolled in Montana public schools. The training must be provided at no cost to the employee. The training may be offered through any method of training identified in subsection (4).
(4)The legislature recommends that employees under subsection (3) take at least 2 hours of youth suicide awareness and prevention training every 5 years. Appropriate methods for delivery of the training include:
(a)in-person attendance at a live training;
(b)videoconference;
(c)an individual program of study of designated materials;
(d)self-review modules available online; and
(e)any other method chosen by the local school board that is consistent with professional development standards.
(5)The trustees of a school district shall establish policies, procedures, or plans related to suicide prevention and response.
(6)No cause of action may be brought for any loss or damage caused by any act or omission resulting from the implementation of the provisions of this section or resulting from any training or lack of training related to this section. Nothing in this section may be construed to impose a specific duty of care.