Add 7.51, Ment Hyg L; add Title 21-A Chap 8-A 21-970, NYC Ad Cd
 
Enacts the "New York City Training And Comprehension of Trauma in Children (TACTIC) Act"; establishes the TACTIC council; provides for a trauma informed care training program to teachers in schools located in the city of New York; creates a department of child trauma informed care to assist with parenting workshops, to assign trauma informed care specialists to schools and to report to the TACTIC council regarding child trauma informed care provided to schools in the city of New York.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A6987
SPONSOR: De Los Santos
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the mental hygiene law and the administrative code of
the city of New York, in relation to enacting the "New York City Train-
ing and Comprehension of Trauma in Children (TACTIC) Act"
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
to establish an office of Child Trauma Informed Care and mandates train-
ing for NYC teachers so they can be armed with the necessary tools need-
ed to identify trauma in their students and to properly help their
students.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the
"New York City Training and Comprehension of Trauma in Children (TACTIC)
Act". Section 2: The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new
section 7.51. Section 3: Title 21-A of the administrative code of the
city of New York is amended by adding a new chapter 8-A. Section 4: This
act shall take effect immediately.
 
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ORIGINAL AND AMENDED VERSION (IF APPLICABLE):
NA
 
JUSTIFICATION: The need for Trauma-informed care training for teach-
ers and specialists in schools is important to help children deal with
trauma. This is a necessary tool to help teachers identify trauma in
their students. Children come to school with the baggage of their expe-
riences from home and in their communities. We are the sum of our expe-
riences, and those experiences include traumatic stress, that many
students do not get to check at the door. The experience of living in a
traumatic, stressful environment on a long-term basis changes a person's
perception of safety and threat, the ability to self-soothe and self-re-
gulate. Most importantly, it also hinders one's ability to learn. Often-
times we identify childhood trauma and chronic toxic stress as abuse,
neglect, a physically or emotionally absent caregiver, domestic
violence, or community violence. However, it can also come from the loss
of a parent, school or community bullying, poverty, medical conditions,
or even the pressure to achieve and meet expectations. Trauma is not
just defined by the event, but also by one's experience of it. Moreover,
trauma is any experience that causes ongoing anxiety, stress, or fear
that overwhelms the individual's ability to cope.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-22: A7476 - Referred to Cities
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:
To be determined
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
Immediately
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
6987
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
May 9, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. DE LOS SANTOS -- read once and referred to the
Committee on Cities
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law and the administrative code of
the city of New York, in relation to enacting the "New York City
Training and Comprehension of Trauma in Children (TACTIC) Act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as
2 the "New York City Training and Comprehension of Trauma in Children
3 (TACTIC) Act".
4 § 2. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 7.51 to
5 read as follows:
6 § 7.51 New York city training and comprehension of trauma in children
7 (TACTIC) council.
8 (a) For purposes of this section the following terms shall have the
9 following meanings:
10 1. "Trauma informed care" shall mean trauma informed care as described
11 by the substance abuse and mental health services administration of the
12 United States department of health and human services, or any successor
13 agency, department, or governmental entity.
14 2. "Teacher" shall mean all persons engaged in classroom teaching of
15 students, on a full-time or part-time basis, including but not limited
16 to, instructors, counselors, assistants or aides.
17 (b) (i) There is hereby established within the office a New York city
18 training and comprehension of trauma in children (TACTIC) council.
19 (ii) The TACTIC council shall consist of eight members, four of whom
20 shall be appointed by the speaker of the assembly and four of whom shall
21 be appointed by the temporary president of the senate. Of the four
22 members appointed by the speaker of the assembly, one shall be a pedia-
23 trician, one shall be a child psychologist and two shall be trauma
24 informed care specialists. Of the four members appointed by the tempo-
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07778-01-3
A. 6987 2
1 rary president of the senate, one shall be a behavioral health special-
2 ist, one shall be a neurologist and two shall be trauma informed care
3 specialists.
4 (iii) The office, in conjunction with the TACTIC council and the New
5 York city department of child trauma informed care shall:
6 (1) provide an annual trauma informed care training program to teach-
7 ers in schools located in the city of New York. Such program shall
8 include training and instruction led by a district trauma informed care
9 specialist, including, but not be limited to, understanding the effects
10 of trauma on students, recognizing the signs and symptoms of trauma in
11 students and learning best practices for assisting and supporting
12 students who are experiencing or have experienced trauma;
13 (2) establish a mandatory trauma informed care certification program
14 for teachers. Such program shall be conducted through an online platform
15 over a span of six to nine months; and
16 (3) establish, in conjunction with the department of child trauma
17 informed care, monthly trauma informed care parenting workshops, to
18 assist parents of children who are experiencing or have experienced
19 trauma. Such workshops shall be offered by the city school district of
20 the city of New York and shall be led by district trauma informed care
21 specialists.
22 (c) The TACTIC council shall review the information provided by the
23 department of child trauma informed care pursuant to paragraph two of
24 subdivision b of section 21-970 of the administrative code of the city
25 of New York and shall report to the office and the state legislature
26 with recommendations to effectively implement and improve child trauma
27 informed care provided in schools.
28 § 3. Title 21-A of the administrative code of the city of New York is
29 amended by adding a new chapter 8-A to read as follows:
30 CHAPTER 8-A
31 DEPARTMENT OF CHILD TRAUMA INFORMED CARE
32 § 21-970 Department of child trauma informed care.
33 a. There is hereby established within the department, a department of
34 child trauma informed care.
35 b. The department of child trauma informed care shall:
36 1. Assist in establishing trauma informed care parenting workshops
37 pursuant to section 7.51 of the mental hygiene law.
38 2. Compile and report to the training and comprehension of trauma in
39 children council, pursuant to section 7.51 of the mental hygiene law, on
40 child trauma informed care provided to schools within the city school
41 district, including, but not limited to, providing information regarding
42 school involvement, the number of students identified as experiencing
43 trauma, details of teacher certification, trauma incidents occurring in
44 schools and parental assistance provided.
45 3. Administer the mandatory trauma informed care certification program
46 for all teachers within the city school district.
47 4. Assign trauma informed care specialists to each borough superinten-
48 dent's office to supervise district trauma informed care specialists.
49 5. Assign district trauma informed care specialists to each school
50 located within the city school district to implement the annual trauma
51 informed care training program to teachers and to present the parenting
52 workshops within the district. Such district trauma informed care
53 specialists shall report to the trauma informed care specialists
54 assigned to each borough superintendent's office.
55 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.