This law will change the standard of health education across the state.

A new law mandates that all New York State schools (K-12) include mental health education as part of their health curriculum.

Chapter 390 of the Laws of 2016, also referred to as Mental Health Education in New York Schools, will go into effect in July 2018. Signed by governor Andrew Cuomo in June 2016, this law was passed with the intention to “improve students’ overall wellness”, including their mental health.

“[Mental health] is important because it is the most under-developed in the science and medical fields. There are many people who do not believe mental health is real because it is not demonstrated physically”, said Denisse Bruno (20), a junior at Brooklyn College.

The Mental Health Association in New York State, one of the main supporters of this law, stated in their official review that “it is long overdue that instruction in mental health” be included with lessons about physical health and “made available to the young people of New York”.

This law makes New York the first state to require schools to include mental health as part of their curriculum. Other states, such as California and Minnesota, encourage schools to teach about mental health along with other health topics but do not require schools to comply (MHANYS).

Several students had positive reactions to the implementation of this law.

Jamora Huggins (15), a tenth grader at the Urban Assembly Institute for Math and Science for Young Women, said that she thought the new law would benefit both teachers and students. It would “help teachers catch mental illnesses in their students” and “it would be beneficial [to students] because mental health is as important as regular health and both can help students in their future”.

Bruno stated that this law will ultimately benefit students, including those who deal with their own mental illnesses.

“Having programs that educate on mental health would allow for recognizing and classifying it as important. People that suffer of such illnesses will understand that they are not alone and help exists” she said.

Mor Abed (20), a junior at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, said that educating students about mental health “is important because it opens up a conversation for kids who might be battling with common mental health problems, like depression or suicidal thoughts”.

Although information about mental health was not taught in her classes when she was in grade school, she believes that it would have benefitted her had it been offered.

“It would have been beneficial for me because it would’ve been easier to deal with stress and anxiety in school”, she said.

Huggins recalled being taught about mental health in the eighth grade and stated that she is now “more aware of the main symptoms of some mental illnesses” because of it.

Although this law requires schools to include mental health in their curriculum, it does not regulate how it will be incorporated. The specific topics and depth of teaching is still left up to the schools, for now. This could impede on the true intention of this law. If schools are not incorporating the new content in an effective way, students will not actually benefit from it.

Bruno recalled being taught about mental health in her 10^th grade health class.

“Since the health class was for one semester we were only taught of the [illnesses] that were caused by drugs, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and depression” she said.

She stated that, due to the limited time frame, the lessons were not in depth and the information offered was insufficient and only showed one perspective.

Schools have had two years to prepare for this shift. Come next semester we’ll see what they have to show for it. At the very least, however, this law seems to be moving us a little further in the right direction.

Do you think this law will ultimately benefit students? Should it be more specific about curriculum content? Voice your opinions in the comments!

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