6A-1.094120. Youth Mental Health Awareness Training and Reporting

(1) Purpose. The purpose of this rule is to set forth requirements for training and reporting of Youth Mental Health Awareness Training, pursuant to Section 1012.584(5), F.S.

(2) Definitions. In this rule, the terms have the following meaning:

(a) “Department” means the Department of Education;

(b) “School District” means the Florida Virtual School under Section 1002.37, F.S., the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind under Section 1002.36, F.S., Developmental Research (Laboratory) Schools under Section 1002.32, F.S., and districts set forth in Article IX, Section 4, of the Florida Constitution;

(c) “School Personnel” means persons who must receive Youth Mental Health Awareness Training in any public school in a School District, including a charter school.

(d) “Youth Mental Health Awareness Training” means programs designed to help school personnel identify and understand signs of emotional disturbance, mental illness and substance abuse disorders and provide school personnel with the skills to assist a person who may be developing or experiencing an emotional, mental health or substance use concern.

(3) Approved Youth Mental Health Awareness Training. The program approved by the Department to provide Youth Mental Health Awareness Training to school personnel is listed at https://www.fldoe.org/schools/k-12-public-schools/sss/ymhat.stml. All school personnel identified as set forth in subsection (4) of this rule must receive this training.

(4) Presumptive Identification of School Personnel for Training and Certification.

(a) The Department will provide, by February 1 of each year, a list of job codes or categories from the document entitled “Data Elements – Staff” incorporated in Rule 6A-1.0014, F.A.C., Comprehensive Management Information System, in order to identify the positions that must receive Youth Mental Health Awareness Training. This list will be posted annually at https://www.fldoe.org/schools/k-12-public-schools/sss/ymhat.stml.

(b) Unless a School District submits a request to establish another method of identifying school personnel and receives approval from the Department, a School District must use these job codes and categories and the persons who hold these positions as of February 1, when providing the certification required by this rule. 

(5) Certification of Training.

(a) The annual certification that at least 80% of school personnel in a School District, including school personnel at charter schools, have completed the approved youth mental health awareness training must be submitted to the Department on the form entitled “Annual Certification of Youth Mental Health Awareness Training,” Form No. YMHAT-1 by July 1 of each year. This form, effective December 2022, is incorporated by reference (http://www.flrules.org/Gateway/reference.asp?No=Ref-14903) and may be obtained at https://www.fldoe.org/schools/k-12-public-schools/sss/ymhat.stml.

(b) This form must be submitted by the superintendent or designee. Instructions to submit this form may be obtained at https://www.fldoe.org/schools/k-12-public-schools/sss/ymhat.stml.

(6) Charter Schools. School Districts must implement procedures to include school personnel at charter schools in the School District’s certification. A School District may rely upon a charter school’s certification without independent verification when submitting the School District’s certification of training under subsection (5) of this rule.

Rulemaking Authority. 1001.02(1), (2)(n) FS. Law Implemented 1012.584 FS. History–New 11-22-22.