New Jersey § 18a:6-112

§ 18a:6-112.

a. The State Board of Education, in consultation with the New Jersey Youth Suicide Prevention

Advisory Council established in the Department of Children and Families pursuant to P.L.2003, c. 214 ( C.30:9A-22 et seq. ), shall, as part of the professional development requirement established by the State

board for public school teaching staff members, require each public school teaching

staff member to complete at least two hours of instruction in suicide prevention,

to be provided by a licensed health care professional with training and experience

in mental health issues, in each professional development period. The instruction in suicide prevention shall include information on the relationship

between the risk of suicide and incidents of harassment, intimidation, and bullying

and information on reducing the risk of suicide in students who are members of communities

identified as having members at high risk of suicide. b. Not including teaching staff members subject to the requirements of subsection

a. of this section and not including licensed mental health care professionals, a

school employee or an employee of a contracted service provider who has regular and

direct contact with students, as determined by the board of education, shall complete

a one-time training program in suicide prevention, awareness, and response identified

by the Department of Education pursuant to subsection c. of this section. A person subject to the requirements of this subsection shall complete the required

training program not less than 12 months from the date of the identification by the

department of training programs or 12 months from the person's date of hire, whichever

occurs later. c. The Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Children and

Families, the Department of Human Services, the New Jersey Youth Suicide Prevention

Advisory Council, suicide prevention experts, and interested stakeholders in the education

community, shall identify training programs on suicide prevention, awareness, and

response that persons subject to the requirements of subsection b. of this section

may access and complete, free of charge, to fulfill the requirements. The department may enter into an agreement with one or more private entities to make

a training program available, free of charge, to persons subject to the requirements

of subsection b. of this section. d. Not less than 12 months following the date of the identification by the department

of the training programs or not less than 12 months from the person's date of hire,

and annually thereafter, each school district and contracted service provider shall

provide to their employees who are subject to the requirements of subsection a. or

b. of this section, in a hard copy paper form or in an electronic form guidelines

on the school district's reporting and suicide prevention, awareness, and response

protocols including, but not limited to, contact information for each school's designated

staff who should be notified whenever an employee believes a student may be at risk

for suicide. e. A school district shall provide information concerning its compliance with the

requirements of this section in the New Jersey Quality Single Accountability Continuum

Statement of Assurance submitted by the district to the executive county superintendent

of schools. A contracted service provider shall annually provide a statement of assurance to the

school district concerning its compliance with the provisions of subsections b. and

d. of this section. f. Each person who is required pursuant to subsection a. or subsection b. of this

section to complete a suicide prevention training program shall have a duty to warn

and protect when the following conditions exist: (1) a student has communicated to that person a clearly identifiable threat of imminent,

serious physical violence against oneself and the circumstances are such that a reasonable

person would believe the student intended to carry out the threat; or (2) the circumstances are such that a reasonable person would believe the student

intended to carry out an act of imminent, serious physical violence against oneself. A person acting in good faith and who takes reasonable steps to discharge a duty to

warn and protect shall be immune from civil and criminal liability in regard to that

disclosure.