Mental health first aid training program; Department of Education, et al., to develop.
Summary
SB 1381 would require the Virginia Department of Education, in consultation with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, to develop a mental health first aid training program. The program must include two components: one for adults generally, and one tailored to adults who regularly interact with youth. The adult component is intended to help participants identify, understand, and respond to signs of mental illnesses and substance use disorders. The youth-focused component would address mental health, crisis management, and substance abuse among adolescents and youth.
The bill is a program-development measure rather than a direct mandate to provide training statewide, but it would add a new section to the Code of Virginia and formally place responsibility on the Department of Education to create the curriculum in coordination with behavioral health officials. If implemented, it would likely affect school personnel and other adults working with children and adolescents, as well as state education and behavioral health agencies responsible for designing and potentially promoting the training.
Impact
SB 1381 would amend the Code of Virginia by adding § 22.1-272.1:2, creating a new statutory directive for the Department of Education to develop a mental health first aid training program. The bill would not itself impose criminal or regulatory penalties, but it would expand the department’s duties and establish a state-level framework for mental health and substance use awareness training, especially for adults working with youth. The measure could influence school-related professional development, crisis response practices, and coordination between education and behavioral health agencies.
Sentiment
The available voting history suggests the bill was not controversial in committee, as it was stricken at the patron’s request by a 15-0 vote in the Senate Education and Health Committee. There are no committee transcripts provided showing debate or opposition, so the public record here indicates limited visible contention at this stage. The bill’s subject matter—mental health, youth crisis response, and substance use awareness—suggests a generally supportive policy area, but the procedural disposition means the proposal did not advance in its introduced form.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. Because the bill was stricken at the patron’s request, any disagreements may have been resolved before committee action or the bill may have been withdrawn for strategic or drafting reasons. Potential areas of debate, based on the bill’s subject, could have included the scope of training, whether the program should be mandatory or voluntary, implementation costs, and which school or youth-serving personnel should receive the training, but none of these concerns are explicitly recorded in the available history.