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AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — The Texas Senate has voted to require public school teachers to undergo two hours of annual training on suicide prevention.
New Braunfels Republican Sen. Donna Campbell's bill was approved 30-1 on Tuesday without debate. The training regimen will be compiled based on the leading practices of programs already offered by some Texas school districts, as directed by the state Department of State Health Services.
Campbell's bill now heads to the House, which already has approved a similar proposal instituting annual suicide prevention training for teachers and public school district officials.
Both were inspired by Kevin Childers, a football coach at Fairfield Independent School District near Corsicana. His 15-year-old son Jonathan committed suicide in 2013.
Kevin Childers has since become an activist for efforts to prevent teen suicide.
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