51925.
Each school district district, county office of education, state special school, and charter school shall ensure that all pupils in grades 1 to 12, inclusive, receive medically accurate, age-appropriate mental health education from instructors trained in the appropriate courses. Each pupil shall receive this instruction at least once in elementary school, at least once in junior high school or middle school, as applicable, and at least once in high school. This instruction shall include all of the following:(a) Reasonably designed
instruction on the overarching themes and core principles of mental health.
(b) Defining common mental health challenges. Depending on pupil age and developmental level, this may include defining conditions such as depression, suicidal thoughts and behaviors, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, and anxiety, including post-traumatic stress disorder.
(c) Elucidating the medically accurate services and supports that effectively help individuals manage mental health challenges.
(d) Promoting mental health wellness, which includes positive development, social connectedness and supportive relationships, resiliency, problem solving skills, coping skills, self-esteem, and a positive school and home environment in
which pupils feel comfortable.
(e) The ability to identify warning signs of common mental health problems in order to promote awareness and early intervention so that pupils know to take action before a situation turns into a crisis. This shall include instruction on both of the following:
(1) How to seek and find assistance from mental health professionals and services within the school district district, county office of education, state special school, or charter school and in the community for themselves or others.
(2) Medically accurate
evidence-based research and culturally responsive practices that are proven to help overcome mental health challenges.
(f) The connection and importance of mental health to overall health and academic success and to co-occurring conditions, such as chronic physical conditions, chemical dependence, and substance abuse.
(g) Awareness and appreciation about the prevalence of mental health challenges across all populations, races, ethnicities, and socioeconomic statuses, including the impact of race, ethnicity, and culture on the experience and treatment of mental health challenges.
(h) Stigma surrounding mental health challenges and what can be done to overcome stigma, increase awareness, and promote acceptance.
This shall include, to the extent possible, classroom presentations of narratives by trained peers and other individuals who have experienced mental health challenges and how they coped with their situations, including how they sought help and acceptance.
51926.
Instruction and materials required pursuant to this article shall satisfy all of the following: (a) Be appropriate for use with pupils of all races, genders, sexual orientations, and ethnic and cultural backgrounds, pupils with disabilities, and English learners.
(b) Be accessible to pupils with disabilities, including, but not limited to, providing a modified curriculum, materials and instruction in alternative formats, and auxiliary aids.
(c) Not reflect or promote bias against any person on the basis of any category protected by Section
220.
51928.
For purposes of this article, the following definitions apply:(a) “Age appropriate” has the same meaning as defined in Section 51931.
(b) “English learner” has the same meaning as defined in Section 51931.
(c) “Instructors trained in the appropriate courses” means instructors with knowledge of the most recent medically accurate research on mental health.
(d) “Medically accurate” means verified or supported by research conducted in compliance with scientific methods and published in
peer-reviewed journals, where appropriate, and recognized as accurate and objective by professional organizations and agencies with expertise in the mental health field.