AN ACT to amend and reenact section 15.1-07-34 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to training for mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect; and to repeal section 15.1-19-29 of the North Dakota Century Code, relating to training for mandated reporters of suspected child abuse or neglect.
HB 1562 revises North Dakota law governing school-based training on youth behavioral health and child abuse/neglect. The bill updates section 15.1-07-34 to allow, rather than require, school districts to provide at least eight hours of professional development every two years on topics such as trauma, social and emotional learning, suicide prevention, bullying, behavioral health symptoms, referral sources, child protective services, and evidence-based prevention strategies. It also continues the requirement that each school designate a behavioral health resource coordinator and directs the superintendent of public instruction to share training information and maintain coordinator contact information.
The bill also strengthens the mandated reporter training component for educators. Before initial licensure, public and nonpublic school teachers, administrators, librarians, and counselors must document completion of a mandated reporter training program for suspected child abuse or neglect. The Department of Health and Human Services must provide an online interactive training module that can be used by teacher education programs, individual educators, and educational institutions, while colleges, schools, and regional education associations may offer trainings that satisfy the requirement for later district-level training. HB 1562 repeals a separate section of the Century Code that previously addressed mandated reporter training, consolidating the subject into the amended section.
HB 1562 changes the legal framework for educator training by making the youth behavioral health and child abuse/neglect professional development provision discretionary for school districts instead of mandatory, while preserving the mandated reporter training requirement for initial licensure. It affects school districts, public and nonpublic schools, teachers, administrators, librarians, counselors, the superintendent of public instruction, the education standards and practices board, and the Department of Health and Human Services. The repeal of section 15.1-19-29 removes duplicative statutory language and centralizes the training requirements in section 15.1-07-34.
The bill appears to have received broad support and little visible opposition. It passed the House overwhelmingly, 90-1, and the Senate unanimously, 46-0, indicating a generally favorable view of the measure. The lack of recorded committee transcripts or floor debate in the provided materials suggests no major controversy surfaced in the available record.
The main policy tension in HB 1562 is between making school district professional development on youth behavioral health optional rather than mandatory, and maintaining a firm statewide requirement for mandated reporter training before licensure. Supporters likely viewed the bill as a way to streamline training requirements, preserve child protection training, and give districts flexibility in how they meet local professional development needs. Any potential concern would center on whether making the behavioral health training permissive could reduce consistency across districts, but no specific opponents or objections are identified in the provided materials.