The New Jersey Senate has passed a bipartisan bill aimed at enhancing mental health support for students. Sponsored by Senator Carmen Amato and Senator Joseph Cryan, the legislation mandates that student identification cards include contact information for critical mental health and suicide prevention resources.
Senator Amato expressed gratitude towards Senator Cryan, stating, “I want to sincerely thank Senator Cryan for his partnership, leadership, and unwavering dedication to the well-being of New Jersey’s youth. Youth suicide is a heartbreaking crisis, and we have a responsibility to do everything in our power as legislators to protect our students.” She emphasized the importance of the bill, noting that what might seem like just a phone number could be a lifeline for young people in distress.
Current regulations require public schools and higher education institutions to print the New Jersey Suicide Prevention Hopeline number and crisis text line contact information on student ID cards. The new bill, S-3769/A-4897, extends this requirement to include the national suicide prevention hotline number.
For more details, the full text of the bill is available online.
