California Bill Aims To Enlist Educators and Parents in Preventing Youth Suicide

A California bill, Assembly Bill 2003, aims to expand suicide prevention efforts by providing free training for students, educators, and parents. Sponsored by Assemblymember Marc Berman and co-sponsored by the California Youth Empowerment Network and the California Commission for Behavioral Health, the bill requires schools to submit annual reports on suicide risk screenings and bypasses existing grant requirements for training. Youth suicides declined last year but remain elevated compared to two decades ago.