AB 748 requires that on or before the start of the 2023-2024 school year, each school site in a school district, county office of education, and charter school serving pupils in any of grades 6 to 12, create a poster that identifies approaches and shares resources regarding pupil mental health. The poster must display at a minimum the following:
- Identification of common behaviors of those struggling with mental health or who are in a mental health crisis, including, but not limited to, anxiety, depression, eating disorders, emotional dysregulation, bipolar episodes, and schizophrenic episodes.
- A list of, and contact information for, school site-specific resources, including, but not limited to, counselors, wellness centers, and peer counselors.
- A list of, and contact information for, community resources, including, but not limited to, suicide prevention, substance abuse, child crisis, nonpolice mental health hotlines, public behavioral health services, and community mental health centers.
- A list of positive coping strategies to use when dealing with mental health, including, but not limited to, meditation, mindfulness, yoga, breathing exercises, grounding skills, journaling, acceptance, and seeking therapy.
- A list of negative coping strategies to avoid, including, but not limited to, substance abuse or self-medication, violence, abuse, self-harm, compulsivity, dissociation, catastrophizing, and isolating.
The language in the poster must be age appropriate and culturally relevant. It must be prominently and conspicuously displayed in appropriate public areas that are accessible to, and commonly frequented by, pupils at each school site. The poster must be in English and in any primary language spoken by 15 percent or more of the pupils enrolled at the school site.
(AB 748 adds Section 49428.5 to the Education Code.)
