(a) Duties -- Development of policy recommendations. -- The Council shall develop policy recommendations to improve the health and educational outcomes of students who receive services from school-based health centers by:

• (1) Supporting local community efforts to establish or expand school-based health center capacity in primary care, behavioral health, and oral health;
• (2) Integrating school-based health centers into existing and emerging patient-centered models of care;
• (3) Promoting the inclusion of school-based health centers in networks of managed care organizations and commercial health insurance carriers;
• (4) Advancing the public health goals of State and local health officials;
• (5) Promoting the inclusion of school-based health centers into networks of school health services and coordinated student service models for the range of services offered in school settings;
• (6) Supporting State and local initiatives to promote student success;
• (7) Reviewing and revising best practice guidelines; and
• (8) Supporting the long-term sustainability of school-based health centers.

(b) Duties -- Review of data. -- The Council shall review the collection and analysis of school-based health center data collected by the State Department of Education to:

• (1) Make recommendations on best practices for the collection and analysis of the data; and
• (2) Provide guidance on the development of findings and recommendations based on the data.

(c) Other activities. -- The Council shall conduct other activities the Council considers appropriate to meet the purpose of the Council.

(d) Reports. -- On or before December 31 of each year, the Council shall report the findings and recommendations of the Council to the Maryland Department of Health, the State Department of Education, the Commission, and, in accordance with § 2-1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly on improving the health and educational outcomes of students who receive services from school-based health centers.

(b) (1) The Maryland Department of Health, in conjunction with the Department, shall recommend best practices for county boards of education to provide to students:

• (i) Behavioral needs assessments; and
• (ii) Individualized or group behavioral health counseling services with a health care provider through a school-based health center or through community partnered school-based behavioral health services.

The General Assembly finds and declares that:

• (1) A statewide Youth Suicide Prevention School Program is essential to address the continuing problem of youth suicide throughout the State;
• (2) The youth suicide problem often exists in combination with other problems, including drug abuse and alcohol use;
• (3) A suicide prevention program for young people must emphasize a partnership between educational programs at the State and local levels and community suicide prevention and crisis center agencies;
• (4) It is of vital importance that a statewide Youth Suicide Prevention School Program be established with shared responsibility at both the State and county levels, and that this cooperation shall be a major tool in efforts to achieve the successful prevention of youth suicide; and
• (5) County suicide prevention and crisis center agencies along with local education agencies are best suited for developing and implementing programs for statewide youth suicide prevention.

(a) Authority to establish. --

• (1) There is a statewide Youth Suicide Prevention School Program administered by the Department in cooperation with:

• (i) Participating local education agencies;

• (ii) Local community agencies involved in suicide prevention;

• (iii) Local community mental health programs; and

• (iv) Youth service bureaus.

• (2) On or before October 1, 1986, the Department may establish a demonstration Youth Suicide Prevention School Program in cooperation with local education agencies in the following political subdivisions:

• (i) Anne Arundel County;

• (ii) Baltimore City;

• (iii) Baltimore County;

• (iv) Harford County;

• (v) Howard County; and

• (vi) Montgomery County.

(b) Local programs. -- Any political subdivision in the State may apply for assistance or grant funds under this subtitle to establish a local Youth Suicide Prevention School Program.

(a) Regulations for eligibility guidelines. --

• (1) The Department shall adopt regulations that set eligibility guidelines for State funding of Youth Suicide Prevention School Programs under this subtitle.
• (2) The regulations shall:
• (i) Establish procedures for developing local programs, in cooperation with local education agencies, youth service bureaus, and community mental health centers; and
• (ii) Establish Standard and policies for programs to offer:
• 1. Individual, family, and group counseling related to youth suicide prevention;
• 2. Referral, crisis intervention, and information for students, parents, and school personnel; and
• 3. Training for school personnel, and others responsible for counseling or supervising student activities.

(b) Authorized programs. -- A Youth Suicide Prevention School Program established under this subtitle shall plan, fund, and implement educational programs, which may include any of the following:

• (1) Classroom instruction designed to achieve any of the following objectives:
• (i) Encourage sound decision making and promote ethical development;
• (ii) Increase pupils' awareness of the relationship between drug and alcohol use and youth suicide;
• (iii) Teach pupils to recognize signs of suicidal tendencies, and other facts about youth suicide;
• (iv) Inform pupils of available community youth suicide prevention services;
• (v) Enhance school climate and relationships between teachers, counselors, and pupils; and
• (vi) Further cooperative efforts of school personnel and community youth suicide prevention program personnel;

• (2) School or community based alternative programs outside of the classroom, including:
  • (i) Positive peer group programs;
  • (ii) A 24-hour "hotline" telephone service, staffed by trained professional counselors;
  • (iii) Programs to collect data on youth suicide attempts;
  • (iv) Intervention and follow-up;
  • (v) Mental health programs to promote mental health awareness and encourage pupils to seek help as soon as it is needed; and
  • (vi) Parent education and training programs; and
  • (3) Teacher training programs.

(c) Requirements for programs established under subtitle. -- Any program established under this subtitle shall:

• (1) Assist in increasing the awareness, among school personnel and community leaders, of the incidence of teenage suicide;
• (2) Train school personnel in individual and schoolwide strategies for teenage suicide prevention;
• (3) Develop and implement school-based teenage suicide prevention programs and pilot projects;
• (4) Develop and implement school-based pilot mental health programs and peer-to-peer support to address the needs of students suffering from mental illness; and
• (5) Through cooperative efforts, utilize community resources in the development and implementation of teenage suicide prevention programs under this subtitle.

(d) Assistance in development of pilot peer-to-peer mental health awareness programs. -- The Department may assist local school systems in implementing pilot peer-to-peer mental health awareness programs.

(a) Duties of Department. -- The Department shall:

• (1) As to each program receiving State funding:
• (i) Monitor its operations; and
• (ii) Evaluate annually its effectiveness; and
• (2) Review and either approve or disapprove the application for State funding of a proposal program.

(b) Shared funding. --

• (1) The funding of an eligible program shall be a shared responsibility of this State and local education agencies.
• (2) Each eligible program shall submit to the Department a proposed annual budget for review and approval, at the times that the Department specifies.
• (3) The proposed budget of the Department shall list the eligible programs and estimate the amount of State funds to be allocated to each.
• (4) The Department shall seek federal funds for Youth Suicide Prevention School Programs under the Garret Lee Smith Memorial Act.

(c) Inclusion of funds in budgets. -- The State funds designated for Youth Suicide Prevention School Programs may be included in the budgets of:

• (1) The Department; and
• (2) The Maryland Department of Health.