During the 2016 legislative session, SB129, also known as The Jason Flatt Act was passed with an effective date of July 1, 2017.
The Jason Flatt Act
SB 129
Effective July 1, 2017
An Act to establish certain suicide awareness and prevention training requirements for certain school employees based on the Jason Flatt Act.
Major components of the legislation are:
The South Dakota Board of Education shall promulgate rules, pursuant to chapter 1-26, to include a minimum of one hour of suicide awareness and prevention training as a requirement that an applicant must meet in order to be issued an initial certificate and a renewal certificate as a teacher, administrator, or other educational professional. The board shall, after consultation with suicide prevention or counseling experts, identify evidence-based resources that will fulfill the suicide awareness and prevention training requirement and shall make the list of the resources available to school districts. The training required may be accomplished through self-review of suicide prevention materials that meet the guidelines developed by the board. The requirement for suicide awareness and prevention training for initial certification or to renew a certificate begins after July 1, 2017.
