Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson, an Anchorage Democrat, speaks in support of a bill she sponsored that would add mental health classes to the curriculum used by public schools. The measure advanced to the House on a 15-4 vote on Wednesday, March 6, 2024 in Juneau.
“As parents, our greatest wish is for our children to feel safe, supported, and able to reach their full potential,” Anchorage Democratic Sen. Elvi Gray-Jackson said before Wednesday’s final vote. “But for too many Alaskan youth, this is increasingly — it’s not the case.” “It’s the reality that we all live every day, every single day, is that good mental health is part of good physical health,” he said.. They said mental health education was needed for K-12 students because of high rates of youth suicide in Alaska, and because of an “alarming” increase in suicidal ideation among teenagers over the past decade.Nikiski Republican Sen. Jesse Bjorkman, a former teacher, voted against the bill but said addressing mental health issues was critical in schools.
The guidelines would be developed in conjunction with state agencies and national mental health organizations, among other groups. SB 24 specifies that parents would need to be notified two weeks before mental health classes are taught. State law allows parents to withdraw their kids from any class or program for any reason.in the House to ban instruction on gender identity and to prohibit consultation with abortion providers to develop mental health education guidelines.