Published:Wednesday, January 19, 2022

SACRAMENTO – Assemblymember Rudy Salas (D-Bakersfield) introduced legislation – Assembly Bill (AB) 58 – to address the increase in youth suicides and self-harm across the state by improving youth suicide prevention within schools. A State Auditor’s report requested by Assemblymember Salas found that Local Educational Agencies (LEAs) lack the resources and policies necessary to effectively address rising rates of youth suicide and self-harm. On Wednesday, AB 58 passed out of the Assembly Education Committee with bipartisan support.

“No child should die by suicide or feel like they do not have the help they need around them—we can and must do more to prevent future tragedies,” said Assemblymember Salas. “AB 58 will give schools the resources and training necessary to improve care for students that are at-risk and reduce the troubling rise in suicides and self-harm.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), suicide was the second leading cause of death nationwide among young people ages 10 to 24 in 2017. Remarkably, a 2019 report by the United Health Foundation found that California was one of seven states with the most significant increases in teen suicide rates from 2016 to 2019.

In a tragic example that occurred recently in San Joaquin County, a sixth-grade student shot himself while on a distance learning Zoom call. The State Auditor’s report noted that, “According to the National Association of School Psychologists, youth who are contemplating suicide frequently give warning signs of their distress but are not likely to seek help directly. Thus, training school staff to respond to youth who exhibit warning signs of suicide is imperative.”

AB 58 requires LEAs to review and update their policy on pupil suicide prevention, and revise training materials to incorporate best practices identified by the California Department of Education (CDE) in the department’s model policy. The bill also encourages LEA’s to provide suicide awareness and prevention training at the beginning of each school year to teachers. Lastly, the bill requires CDE to develop resources and guidance on how to conduct suicide awareness and prevention training remotely, to be provided to LEA’s.

To whom it may concern.

The question now do we truly know what Orange County CA Schools districts Board with Administration are in compliance with most recent medical recommendation to prevent Suicides to lessen the Screen Time and the Bluelight eye damage with CA State SCR 73 Blue Light 2019 EYESAFE PARTNER ON ADVOCACY CAMPAIGN TO SUPPORTBLUE LIGHT AWARENE (socialemotionalpaws.org)as examples to the entire Ca State education system, Since Ca State has no over sight practices for CA State Audits to oversee the compliance to CA State laws to many Mandates. So we can protect Children by providing tools to  prevention under Ca State laws such as SB a State law HR 28 2015-2016 and which is a State law AB 34, Ramos. Pupils: bullying and harassment prevention information.

From my audits in Orange County CA that I currently have sought under the Public Record Act and the Freedom of information Act in School District Unified in Orange County related to other State Laws that they won’t many fully respond or disclose all records for AB 2246 Sept 2016 effective 2017-2018 Suicide prevent for grades 7-12 with other request AB 1767 Oct 2019 effective 2019 grades 1-6 suicide prevention. Asking about Hope Squad.com Hope Squads - HOPE4UTAH and Screenagers.com with was made by Dr Delaney Ruston MD from too much screentime effects the brain damage Screenagers Movie | Screen In Your Community “Are you watching kids scroll through life, with their rapid-fire thumbs and a six-second attention span? Physician and filmmaker Delaney Ruston saw that with her own kids and learned that the average kid spends 6.5 hours a day looking at screens. She wondered about the impact of all this time and about the friction occurring in homes and schools around negotiating screen time—friction she knew all too well.”

In SCREENAGERS, as with her award-winning documentaries on mental health, Delaney takes a deeply personal approach as she probes into the vulnerable corners of family life, including her own, to explore struggles over social media, video games, academics and internet addiction. Through poignant, and unexpectedly funny stories, along with surprising insights from authors, psychologists, and brain scientists, SCREENAGERS reveals how tech time impacts kids’ development and offers solutions on how adults can empower kids to best navigate the digital world and find balance.

EARN CE CREDITS FROM AN APA AND NBCC APPROVED PROVIDER

Psychologists, Counselors and other Mental Health Professionals can earn CE Credits in our Continuing Education Program. Screenagers | Continuing Education Program (screenagersmovie.com) and from that too requiring professional advance training What Children Lose When Their Brains Develop Too Fast - WSJ and Gray Matters: Too Much Screen Time Damages the Brain Gray Matters: Too Much Screen Time Damages the Brain (socialemotionalpaws.org) and blue light causing eye damage without eye protection With screen time now averaging 13 hours a day, experts warn of he (socialemotionalpaws.org) and CONSUMER ELECTRONICS BRANDS ANNOUNCE NEW EYESAFE PRODUCTS AT BLUE (socialemotionalpaws.org) and Autism and Screen Time: Special Brains, Special Risks. (socialemotionalpaws.org) and Irvine CA Hope Squad project at Northwood High School (socialemotionalpaws.org) and 12 Effective Expert Methods To Limit Screen Time For Children (socialemotionalpaws.org) and Taiwan's New Law Imposes Fines On Parents That Allow Kids To (socialemotionalpaws.org) and MRIs show screen time linked to lower brain development in presch (socialemotionalpaws.org) and Is Blue Light Actually Harmful? (socialemotionalpaws.org) and Dog Therapy READING TO ROVER: Does it really help children?Veterinary school (socialemotionalpaws.org).

Recommendation to mirror the State of Utah Digital Wellness, Citizenship, and Safe Technology Commission Digital Wellness, Citizenship, and Safe Technology Commission (socialemotionalpaws.org)  HB 0372S01 Status: Governor Signed Last Mar 30, 2020. Social media has many benefits but when social media creates a substantial disruption to the child, there should be best practices and resources for training students in a healthy behavior related to technology. To seek CA State Governor with the State Capital Mandates HR 28 2015-2016 with AB 24 Civic Engagement 2017 Bill Text - AB-24 Instructional programs: State Seal of Civic Engagement. (ca.gov)  to provide these benefits Social Emotional, Soft Skills, Mentoring, and Wellness, to mandate therapy from gardening From Screen Time to Green Time: How to mitigate pandemic screen (socialemotionalpaws.org) and https://socialemotionalpaws.org/blog-post-1/f/too-much-screen-time-can-have-lasting-consequencesfor-young-child  and  Gardening A turn of the soil is rooted in psychology (socialemotionalpaws.org) ,and  https://socialemotionalpaws.org/blog-post-1/f/school-gardens-improve-health-and-academic-performancediscipline and Outdoor Echo Therapy  NATURE AND MENTAL HEALTH (socialemotionalpaws.org).

Utah PTA Public Policy Program National PTA and Utah PTA Resolutions:

That Utah PTA and its constituent associations assist schools, community councils, parents and students in learning safe and responsible digital citizen behaviors through trainings, consultation, and distribution of resources.

Utah PTA Legislative Policy:

2. High standards for those who work in all areas concerned with children and youth.

Utah PTA Legislative Priorities:

4. Support safe practices and environments for all children.

Links Utah Public Policy2019-20 Legislative Priorities Commission: Family Life

Digital Wellness, Citizenship, and Safe Technology Commission (socialemotionalpaws.org)

Social media has many benefits but when social media creates a substantial disruption to the child, there should be best practices and resources for training students in a healthy behavior related to technology. https://www.utahpta.org/bill/2020/hb0372

Digital Wellness, Citizenship, and Safe Technology Commission 62 63C-21-201. Commission established -- Members. 63 (1) There is created the Digital Wellness, Citizenship, and Safe Technology 64 Commission to advance the goal of reaching every student, parent, and student's support.

This bill creates the Digital Wellness, Citizenship, and Safe Technology Commission to advance the goal of training every student in healthy behavior related to technology use.

Digital Wellness, Citizenship, and Safe Technology Commission 2021

https://le.utah.gov/committee/committee.jsp?year=2021&com=SPEDCS

Sarah Held, Elementary Segment Director

Sarah Held, Elementary Segment Director

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SgAxzrWk-fk&t=2s

Bridget Holdermann, Bargaining Chair

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kNHTrOfcew&t=1s

Kristy Gladysz, Ed Specialist

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6iczrkzuAZM&t=2s

Donny Terranove, HS teacher

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7aZSZBOs580&t=1s

"President John F. Kennedy said technology ‘has no conscience of its own. Whether it will become a force for good or ill depends on man.’ Yet swayed by digital-age myths, we are providing our children with remarkably little guidance on their use of technology.”

“It was Albert Einstein who famously said that once you stop learning, you start dying”. It was Bill Gates who said that he would want the ability to read faster. Request letter of support since it takes a village to save a child. Quotations by “John F. Kennedy, “Children are the world's most valuable resource and its best hope for the future”.

“Dr. Dunckley has found that everyday use of interactive screen devices — such as computers, video games, smartphones, and tablets — can easily overstimulate a child’s nervous system, triggering a variety of stubborn symptoms. In contrast, she’s discovered that a strict electronic fast single-handedly improves mood, focus, sleep, and behavior, regardless of the child’s diagnosis.”

Thank You

Craig A. Durfey

Founder of P.R.D.D.C.