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Healthier Schools Act

BILL NO. 43

(as introduced)

1st Session, 63rd General Assembly
Nova Scotia
66 Elizabeth II, 2017



Private Member's Bill



Healthier Schools Act



The Honourable Jamie Baillie
Cumberland South



First Reading: October 12, 2017

(Explanatory Note)

Second Reading:

Third Reading:

Explanatory Note

This Bill requires

(a) school boards to provide students with access, on a regular basis, to in-school health services provided by a qualified health professional and to make school mental health training programs available to all secondary school teachers; and

(b) the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development to amend the ministerial regulations made under the Education Act to require school boards to implement the Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide (Updated Edition) created by Stan Kutcher and Yifeng Wei.

An Act to Amend Chapter 1
of the Acts of 1995-96,
the Education Act,
Respecting the Improvement
of Mental Health in Adolescents

Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:

1 This Act may be cited as the Healthier Schools Act.

2 Subsection 64(2) of Chapter 1 of the Acts of 1995-96, the Education Act, as amended by Chapter 5 of the Acts of 2002, Chapter 16 of the Acts of 2005, Chapter 54 of the Acts of 2008, Chapters 14 and 50 of the Acts of 2012, Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2013, Chapter 13 of the Acts of 2014 and Chapter 16 of the Acts of 2015, is further amended by

(a) adding immediately after clause (j) the following clause:

(ja) provide and ensure that students have, on a regular basis, access to in-school health services, including mental health services, provided by a member of a health profession who is qualified to provide such services;

and

(b) adding immediately after clause (n) the following clause:

(na) make school mental health training programs available to all teachers employed by the school board who teach students in secondary school;

3 Upon the coming into force of this Act, the Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development shall, as soon as is practicable, amend the regulations made under subsection 145(1) of the Education Act to require that each school board provide, in each school under the jurisdiction of the school board, instruction in mental health to students in grade nine in accordance with the Mental Health and High School Curriculum Guide (Updated Edition) created by Stan Kutcher and Yifeng Wei.

 


This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2017 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created October 12, 2017. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.