A bill requiring public schools to include the Your Life Iowa Crisis phone and text numbers on student identification cards for grades 7-12 pass an Iowa Senate subcommittee on Tuesday. The bill already advanced through the House, 91-4.
The number is optional for students in grades 5-6. Any school with a supply of unused ID cards must use those cards before compliance is necessary, according to the current bill. An amendment may be considered to make that change, however.
Democrat Sen. Claire Celsi said she supports the idea, but wishes the Senate was passing so many bills that would cause students harm and to consider suicide.
Republican Sen. Chris Cournoyer, who wasn’t serving on the subcommittee but supports the bill, said anything the legislature can do to support mental health and give people a way to talk to someone or text or reach out when they’re experiencing any kind of mental health issue is good.
Keenan Crow of One Iowa said the LGBTQ group is very supportive, but suggested the one change related to unused ID cards having to be used prior to the number being printed. The bill states schools must use those cards first, not that they should.
Dave Daughton of Rural School Advocates of Iowa and School Administrators of Iowa said it is a great thing to have available to students and will not take much to happen.
Jefferson Fink of Iowa School Counselors Association, Iowa School Nurses Organization, Iowa School Psychologists Association, Iowa School Social Workers Association and Mental Health America spoke in favor, noting that having access to the phone number at times outside of school will help save children’s lives.
“If there’s anything we can do by printing one simple number that saves a life it’s worth it,” he said.
Leslie Carpenter of Iowa Mental Health Advocacy said the organization very strongly supports the bill. Carpenter said someone in crisis is having a “really hard time” thinking about what to do.
All three senators — Republicans Jeff Taylor and Sandy Salmon and Democrat Sen. Celso — agreed to move the bill forward.
