Editor’s note: Resources for any person who is feeling depressed, troubled or suicidal are listed at the bottom of this article.
With Palo Alto facing increased pressure to address youth mental health, Assemblymember Marc Berman introduced legislation this week aimed at providing access to free suicide prevention training to all K-12 students, teachers, administrators and parents in California.
Assembly Bill 2003, which Berman put forth this week, comes as Palo Alto is in the midst of its third “suicide cluster” – a short period of time when multiple deaths by suicide happen. The bill seeks to provide communities with the resources and knowledge needed to recognize vulnerable youth and support them, according to a press release from his office.
“Too many communities across California have been devastated by youth suicides, including my hometown of Palo Alto,” said Berman, whose district includes Mountain View, Palo Alto and Menlo Park. “We must do everything we possibly can to prevent these tragedies.”
Berman’s legislation also looks to ensure that suicide risk screening data is shared publicly so that communities can identify trends and create plans to tackle the issue.
In the wake of a Palo Alto High School student’s death by suicide earlier this month, students urged school district leaders to create stricter policies against bullying, establish more personalized responses to student deaths and look into the accessibility of current mental health resources.
Suicide is the second-leading cause of death across the state for people ages 10 to 25, and rates have increased over the last 20 years, Tuesday’s press release said.
Berman had previously secured funding for an online suicide prevention tranining program for middle and high school students and staff under a pilot program that was available from June 2020 to December 2024. More than 20,000 people completed the training, and the vast majority reported that they felt they could help someone who might be considering suicide, according to Berman’s office.
His proposed bill would significantly expand that program.
Berman partnered with the Commission for Behavioral Health in creating the legislation, which Al Rowlett, the commission’s chair, said supports the agency’s “extensive policy recommendations for suicide prevention and school behavioral health.”
“Suicide is preventable, and this training is essential to give Californians the knowledge, tools, and resources to know what to look for and feel confident in supporting youth in their life who need help,” Berman said.
Help is available:
Any person who is feeling depressed, troubled or suicidal can call 988, the mental health crisis hotline, to speak with a crisis counselor. In Santa Clara County, interpretation is available in 200 languages. Spanish speakers can also call 888-628-9454. People can reach trained counselors at Crisis Text Line by texting RENEW to 741741.
This story originally appeared in the Mountain View Voice. Emma Montalbano is an education reporter for the Mountain View Voice.