Help Identify Indicators of Potential Student Aggression Act of 2007

Help Identify Indicators of Potential Student Aggression Act of 2007 - Directs the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, to prepare and periodically revise: (1) concise written materials to be used by school personnel in elementary schools, secondary schools, and institutions of higher education to help to identify the possible warning signs of a student with a high potential to be aggressive and harmful to property, themselves, or others, and report such behavior to designated school personnel; and (2) more detailed written materials to be used by designated school personnel to determine the appropriate actions to take with respect to such a student, including whether he or she should be referred to a mental health expert.

Requires the first version of such materials to be provided to the Secretary of Education within 90 days of this Act's enactment for distribution to schools.

[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 2576 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                H. R. 2576

To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prepare concise 
   written materials for use by school personnel to help to identify 
    students with a high potential to commit aggressive and harmful 
                   behavior, and for other purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                              June 6, 2007

 Ms. Carson (for herself, Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas, Mr. Payne, and Ms. 
  Corrine Brown of Florida) introduced the following bill; which was 
 referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to 
 the Committee on Education and Labor, for a period to be subsequently 
   determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such 
 provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To direct the Secretary of Health and Human Services to prepare concise 
   written materials for use by school personnel to help to identify 
    students with a high potential to commit aggressive and harmful 
                   behavior, and for other purposes.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Help Identify Indicators of 
Potential Student Aggression Act of 2007''.

SEC. 2. MATERIALS FOR USE BY SCHOOL PERSONNEL TO IDENTIFY STUDENTS WITH 
              A HIGH POTENTIAL TO COMMIT AGGRESSIVE AND HARMFUL 
              BEHAVIOR.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting 
through the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health 
Services Administration, shall prepare and, as appropriate, 
periodically revise--
            (1) concise written materials to be used by faculty, 
        counselors, teachers' aides, school medical personnel, and 
        other school leaders in elementary schools, secondary schools, 
        and institutions of higher education--
                    (A) to help to identify the possible warning signs 
                of a student with a high potential to commit aggressive 
                and harmful behavior to property, themselves, or 
                others; and
                    (B) to refer an accounting of the suspect behavior 
                to designated school personnel; and
            (2) more detailed written materials to be used by 
        designated school personnel to determine an appropriate course 
        of action with respect to a student identified pursuant to 
        paragraph (1), including whether the student should be referred 
        to a mental health expert.
    (b) Alternative Versions.--The materials prepared under subsection 
(a) may be prepared in alternative versions to specifically address 
distinct school settings.
    (c) Considerations.--In preparing the materials required by 
paragraphs (1) and (2) of subsection (a), the Secretary of Health and 
Human Services--
            (1) shall take into consideration the need to differentiate 
        indicators of a wide range of normal behavior from indicators 
        of a high potential for aggressive and harmful behavior;
            (2) shall take into consideration the possibility of 
        unintended, adverse consequences resulting from targeting for 
        suspicion or identifying a student as having a high potential 
        to commit aggressive and harmful behavior;
            (3) shall design the materials in a manner that--
                    (A) protects student confidentiality and privacy 
                throughout the identification and referral processes; 
                and
                    (B) notwithstanding such protections, preserves the 
                authority of school officials to intervene when 
                immediate action is required to control a given 
                situation; and
            (4) shall design the materials so as to prevent 
        stereotyping of students and misuse by school personnel on the 
        basis of gender, racial, ethnic, or cultural differences.
    (d) Rule of Construction.--Nothing in this Act shall be construed 
to require an elementary school, secondary school, or institution of 
higher education--
            (1) to use the materials prepared under subsection (a); or
            (2) to implement any standard or recommendation contained 
        in such materials.
    (e) Provision to Secretary of Education.--The Secretary of Health 
and Human Services shall provide the materials prepared under 
subsection (a), including any revision thereof, to the Secretary of 
Education for distribution. The Secretary of Health and Human Services 
shall provide the first version of such materials, ready for 
distribution, not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of 
this Act.
    (f) Distribution to Schools.--Not later than 90 days after receipt 
of materials pursuant to subsection (e), including any revision 
thereof, the Secretary of Education shall distribute such materials to 
each private or public elementary school, secondary school, and 
institution of higher education.
    (g) Definitions.--In this Act:
            (1) The terms ``elementary school'' and ``secondary 
        school'' have the meanings given to such terms in section 9101 
        of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 
        U.S.C. 7801).
            (2) The term ``institution of higher education'' has the 
        meaning given to such term in section 102 of the Higher 
        Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 1002).
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