Effective: March 24, 2021
Latest Legislation: House Bill 123 - 133rd General Assembly
(A) As used in this section and section 3313.60 of the Revised Code, "evidence-based" means a program or practice that does either of the following:
(1) Demonstrates a rationale based on high-quality research findings or positive evaluation that such a program or practice is likely to improve relevant outcomes and includes ongoing efforts to examine the effects of the program or practice;
(2) Has a statistically significant effect on relevant outcomes based on:
(a) Strong evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented experimental study;
(b) Moderate evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented quasi-experimental study; or
(c) Promising evidence from at least one well-designed and well-implemented correlation study with statistical controls for selection bias.
(B) The department of education, in consultation with the department of public safety and the department of mental health and addiction services, shall maintain a list of approved training programs, to be posted on the department of education's web site, for instruction in suicide awareness and prevention and violence prevention as prescribed under division (A)(5)(h) of section 3313.60 and division (D) of section 3319.073 of the Revised Code. The list of approved training programs shall include at least one option that is free or of no cost to schools. The approved training programs shall be evidence-based and include the following:
(1) How to instruct school personnel to identify the signs and symptoms of depression, suicide, and self-harm in students;
(2) How to instruct students to identify the signs and symptoms of depression, suicide, and self-harm in their peers;
(3) How to identify appropriate mental health services within schools and within larger communities, and when and how to refer youth and their families to those services;
(4) How to teach students about mental health and depression, warning signs of suicide, and the importance of and processes for seeking help on behalf of self and peers and reporting of these behaviors;
(5) How to identify observable warning signs and signals of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others;
(6) The importance of taking threats seriously and seeking help;
(7) How students can report dangerous, violent, threatening, harmful, or potentially harmful activity, including the use of the district's chosen anonymous reporting program.
(C) The department of education, in consultation with the department of mental health and addiction services, shall maintain a list of approved training programs, to be posted on the department of education's web site, for instruction in social inclusion as prescribed by division (A)(5)(i) of section 3313.60 of the Revised Code. The list of approved training programs shall include at least one option that is free or of no cost to schools. The approved training programs shall be evidence-based and include the following:
(1) What social isolation is and how to identify it in others;
(2) What social inclusion is and the importance of establishing connections with peers;
(3) When and how to seek help for peers who may be socially isolated;
(4) How to utilize strategies for more social inclusion in classrooms and the school community.