State Senate passes bill to add MH education to Oklahoma schools

Abstract

The Oklahoma Senate passed a bill to get mental health education into schools to help students better understand how mental health impacts their overall well‐being, Oklahoma's News4 reported. House Bill 1568 was written by Rep. Jeff Boatman (R‐Tulsa) and Sen. John Haste (R‐Broken Arrow). The Senate unanimously passed the bill on April 13, according to a State Senate news release. If the bill is passed, the State Board of Education would require, starting in the 2022–23 school year, that all schools include mental health instruction as part of any health education curriculum, emphasizing the interrelation of physical and mental well‐being. The bill also requires the board to consult with the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to revise the Oklahoma Academic Standards for Health and Physical Education to include a mental health focus and create a list of age‐appropriate resources for K–12 students, the news release states. School districts can go into agreements with nonprofits or other community partners to help with providing mental health education if the Department of Education and the Department of Mental Health approves those entities or partners. The bill now heads back to the House for consideration of Senate amendments.