§7–504.

    (a)    (1)    The Department shall adopt regulations that set eligibility guidelines for State funding of Youth Suicide Prevention School Programs under this subtitle.

        (2)    The regulations shall:

            (i)    Establish procedures for developing local programs, in cooperation with local education agencies, youth service bureaus, and community mental health centers; and

            (ii)    Establish standards and policies for programs to offer:

                1.    Individual, family, and group counseling related to youth suicide prevention;

                2.    Referral, crisis intervention, and information for students, parents, and school personnel; and

                3.    Training for school personnel, and others responsible for counseling or supervising student activities.

    (b)    A Youth Suicide Prevention School Program established under this subtitle shall plan, fund, and implement educational programs, which may include any of the following:

        (1)    Classroom instruction designed to achieve any of the following objectives:

            (i)    Encourage sound decision making and promote ethical development;

            (ii)    Increase pupils’ awareness of the relationship between drug and alcohol use and youth suicide;

            (iii)    Teach pupils to recognize signs of suicidal tendencies, and other facts about youth suicide;

            (iv)    Inform pupils of available community youth suicide prevention services;

            (v)    Enhance school climate and relationships between teachers, counselors, and pupils; and

            (vi)    Further cooperative efforts of school personnel and community youth suicide prevention program personnel;

        (2)    School or community based alternative programs outside of the classroom, including:

            (i)    Positive peer group programs;

            (ii)    A 24-hour “hotline” telephone service, staffed by trained professional counselors;

            (iii)    Programs to collect data on youth suicide attempts;

            (iv)    Intervention and follow-up;

            (v)    Mental health programs to promote mental health awareness and encourage pupils to seek help as soon as it is needed; and

            (vi)    Parent education and training programs; and

        (3)    Teacher training programs.

    (c)    Any program established under this subtitle shall:

        (1)    Assist in increasing the awareness, among school personnel and community leaders, of the incidence of teenage suicide;

        (2)    Train school personnel in individual and schoolwide strategies for teenage suicide prevention;

        (3)    Develop and implement school-based teenage suicide prevention programs and pilot projects;

        (4)    Develop and implement school-based pilot mental health programs and peer-to-peer support to address the needs of students suffering from mental illness; and

        (5)    Through cooperative efforts, utilize community resources in the development and implementation of teenage suicide prevention programs under this subtitle.

    (d)    The Department may assist local school systems in implementing pilot peer-to-peer mental health awareness programs.