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TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A bipartisan group of New Jersey lawmakers is pushing legislation that would require public school teachers receive more suicide prevention education.
An Assembly committee approved the measure late last year while Republican state Sen. Diane Allen introduced a similar bill in the Senate this month.
The bill requires public school teachers and staff to receive two hours of suicide prevention training from a licensed health care professional every year. Under current law, teachers and staff must complete two hours of training over five years.
State statistics show that New Jersey has a youth suicide rate of about 5 per 100,000 people, compared with nearly 8 per 100,000 nationally in 2012.
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