H.B. 317 Social Health in Public Education Curriculum: transcript

Okay. Thank you Mr. Chairman. Anyway, and if I can get the, I dunno that, get a slide, uh, projecting up if possible. There we go. Uh, thank you. I'll be speaking to the first substitute. Uh, this bill is very, very simple. And it's interesting the bills that you've already heard, uh, the bill from, uh, Representative Peterson and others where, uh, there was debate about, excuse me,

Yes. Yes. I've got, uh, I've got Todd Kornberg is, uh, principal at Juab High School, right? Juab High School and Julie Sherzinger. And then Dax, uh, Cutler will be, will be speaking briefly to this. Um, it was interesting in that, that prior bill that even the definition of the word conscience was, was debated. And so all this bill does is define the term social health. This is already in use in USBE documents and standards. The term social health is used frequently, but it's not defined anywhere. And, uh, I would like to just, uh, show just a little clip of one of my favorite comedians of all time, Jonathan Winters. This was, this was, I'm Gloria, how you, this was Humpty Dumpty. I don't Know what you mean by glory. Of course you don't, till I tell you, I mean, there's a nice knockdown argument for you. The glory doesn't mean a nice knockdown argument. When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean. Neither more nor less. The question is whether you can make words mean so many different things. The question is what is to be a master? That's all. Thank you for your indulgence, Mr. Chair. The, uh, the question is, we've got social health in our standards and, and other places and witches to be master. We know that that term, many people shrieked in horror when I had a bill that had social health in it, because that term has been used to go so many different directions. And all this does is lock it down to a definition that's observable and objective. And with that, I'd like to take some, give some time to Mr. Kornberg and Sherzinger and then, uh, finally to Dax Cutler to tell you about how this is being implemented in a very objective and, uh, observable fashion.

So I kind of wanted to tell you a little bit about where I've come from and, and why I'm here. First of all, I I was in Salt Lake County as a principal at Harriman High School. Um, certainly I speak for myself, my, uh, superintendent from Juab Abzu where I'm here and, and supports me being here. But, um, when I first got to Harriman High School, um, we had a pandemic contagion of suicides. Uh, the principal that was currently there was getting blamed for all of the suicides that were happening, which I'd call him from Copper Hills and say, it's not your fault. This is crazy. It's not your fault. But the community, everybody started buying into that. And so I received a call, uh, from the superintendent and he said to me, we are moving. It's six o'clock at night. We are moving you to Harriman High School. And I apologize for what I'm about to say, 'cause it, I said, oh my God. Because I knew the way that was about that to happen. Um, you know, we talked about suicide and, and I'm not here. I cannot fix suicide. I, anybody that says I, I fixed that. We didn't have another suicide at Harriman High. And if I get credit for that, that is just not right. But I was visible and we Uintah work. In fact, Julie here was with me and what we did, I think the first thing that we did as far as social wellness, I, I met with LDS, state presidents at the seminary one morning and I said, okay, I'll take my responsibility. I'll go to work. But what are you gonna do? I met with parents, school community council. I'll take my responsibility. What are you gonna do? It takes us all to teach children social health, it making decisions, the right decisions, how to get out of hard situations, difficult situations. This last year, uh, or this last week, I, I was at a conference and, and visiting with, actually the guest speaker was Elizabeth Smart. Um, and her documentary just came out. Um, she was 14 when she was taken captive. And of course she suggests teaching children things that we, we don't in, in high school. But she said, I wish I would've known, I wish I would've been taught. I I wish I knew what to do in certain social situations. And I will teach my kids how to react when I'm in a bad position. I want my kids to know what a healthy relationship is with adults and with kids and with teachers. And so it, that one talk just this last week had a huge impact, uh, on me in preparation for today. You know, as educators, should we really be, it's been a long time since I've, my primary focus has been on, on worrying about a CT scored. I still worry about them and AP pass rates and graduation. I, I worry sick about them. But the social health, uh, it's, it's the, it's the, uh, it's the things that students need to know to survive and go forward. This high school should, shouldn't be an end. It's a springboard forward. We've gotta give them that springboard forward so that they can be prepared for being adults and knowing how to get out of those situations. And so that's what I ask for. Um, I, I will always be in favor of helping kids. I've been in this business for 36 years. Um, I love the students at Juab, but I will tell you, I just visited a school and I got a picture of it tonight, uh, on the bathroom walls talking about Nazi love. And we hate Muslims. That's not socially healthy. How are we going to address those issues? Parents are going to do their very best. But the one thing that Julie and I did well, 'cause we both got to Herriman at the same time, we got parent groups coming to address our parents to educate them. And one of the best things we did is get David Klowski involved. And for that year, we spent hours and hours at night just talking to parents and students about what was healthy. How do we get out of bad situations? Who do you talk to? If a neighbor kid comes to your home and says, I'm in trouble, what are you gonna tell 'em? Do you know what to tell 'em? I think we're doing a lot of that in high school. Um, I applaud the efforts of those, uh, counselors, those who are working on curriculum to help students. Um, I can leave the profession in time knowing that it, it was more than math, science and language arts, the science teacher by trade. But I truly help students get through some of the very worst and hardest times in their lives. And so I strongly support this bill.

Hello, my name is Julie Scherzinger and I am a public education administrator. Um, I appreciate the opportunity to speak with you today. Uh, in 2023 US Surgeon General, excuse me,

I'm representing myself. Okay. Thank you. In 2023, US Surgeon General declared a national loneliness epidemic. Nearly half of American adults report measurable social isolation. This is a public health emergency. Loneliness is linked to significantly higher rates of heart disease, stroke, and dementia with a mortality impact comparable to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. While this crisis affects every age group, it has hit the young people, especially hard and its effects were dramatically intensified by the COVID, COVID-19 pandemic members of the committee. All that we can offer each other is in our life is our hard fought wisdom earned through study, lived experience and service. Now, I don't know the thousands of tax laws required to file my taxes correctly. So I rely on an accountant to be the expert. Today I'm offering you my expert experience. For nearly 20 years, I have studied human behavior, served as a school counselor, and worked as a high school administrator. And I want to be very clear with you. I have seen crisis firsthand and I have seen what works As a high school administrator, I helped lead a school community through a mental health crisis marked by a suicide contagion. It was devastating, it was urgent, and it required more than reactive responses or individual counseling alone. What changed the trajectory was a deliberate research-based focus on teaching social health skills, how to build relationships, strengthen peer connections, and communicate with dignity. And it worked. Teaching social health skills didn't just improve school climate. It saved lives. And I cannot overstate that. It disrupted a suicide epidemic. It restored hope to a community. It gave students tools they carried beyond the classroom and into adulthood. This is why HB three 17 matters. HB three 17 recognizes that academic success and mental health are inseparable from social health. It gives schools the ability to intentionally teach the skills that protect students before they reach crisis. This bill is not about adding one more thing to educator's plates. It's about addressing a root cause. As part of my human experience, I wanna share something personal. As a child, I was a statistic. I was raised by a single mother. We moved 13 times. In 18 years, I attended seven elementary schools. So what changed the trajectory of my life? Friendship, four friends that I met in high school have been part of my life for over 40 years, celebrating milestones together and holding one another through heartbreaking loss. When I agreed to speak with you tonight about HP three 17, I sheepishly admitted that I had an important appointment at 6:00 PM that I had to be to that appointment isn't with a CEO or with a superintendent. It is with those ladies. 'cause we have a gallatine celebration at my home that I'm hosting tonight. But I'm here because I know the importance of healthy relationships in high school and, and the epidemic that we have in this society of loneliness. We need to address, you have that power. The resilience I developed from a, from stable healthy relationships formed in high school. They are protective. They stabilize mental health and they change lives. I'm asking you to support HB three 17 and help the next generation bridge the social health skills gap that that exists so that fewer students ever reach the point of crisis that I witnessed firsthand. This is not extra, this is not optional. This is foundational. And with your leadership, it is possible. Thank you for your time.

Thank you. My name is Dax Cutler. I am a student Herriman and I speak on behalf in of myself in support of this bill.

It It is, yes. Okay, please go ahead. Alright.

Given Utah's youth suicide and depression crisis, it is paramount. We give students opportunities to learn how to communicate, process difficulty, and connect with one another. One of the core lessons I was taught in this class that has stayed with me years later was sitting in a circle and hearing every classmate share something that had hurt or shaped them. We're just high school students now, but in five or 10 years will be parents, voters and active members of our communities. In a world that's already polarized, hearing your peers open up about something that has, um, deeply affected their lives was uniting and we all felt connected. I shared my own personal experience. Um, I lost my brother to suicide just a few years earlier, even as a new student. Um, instead of judgment or discomfort, uh, the room opened up. Uh, another student shared a nearly identical story. And that moment created a connection. Um, neither of us had experienced before. One of the key takeaways of this class was the students most affected weren't stereotypes. Um, they were, they were athletes, popular kids, people, everyone assumed were fine. This class didn't single anyone out. It reached the average student before this program, Herriman High School. And its community experienced seven student suicides in less than a year. My previous school, 5% of the young men in my grade have committed suicide before the age of 17. These issues need to be tackled statewide as soon as possible so we can stop this epidemic. The goal of school is obviously to educate, but there is no greater measurement of failure than if students are not making it out alive. HB three 17 isn't about ideology. It's about giving students tools for connection and communication that many of us will never learn otherwise. I had this class, I saw what it did, and I hope you'll support making that opportunity available statewide. Thank you. Thank

Mr. Chairman. Yeah. With that, uh, uh, for committee questions, I'll invite up David Kozlowski, who, uh, is the author of Youth of the Nation and, and, uh, expert, local expert on, uh, social health. I wanna be clear though, this isn't creating something new. There's great things happening and standards that are fantastic that have already been put in place. And so this bill isn't creating this, it's just simply defining that term. So like we heard before, what is conscience and what is not conscience and what is belief and what is not belief? We're just defining what social health is so that we know what it isn't and it can't be hijacked. And so I don't wanna make any pretense that this bill is creating, uh, something. There are wonderful things happening. This bill simply locks that definition down, that social health is about the tools to build healthy relationships. With that, Mr. Chair, I'd be happy to answer any questions. I'll ask Mr. Kozlowski to join me, uh, perhaps in answering questions of the committee.

Thank you. Can you hear me? Okay? There we go. Thank you Mr. Chair. I do have a few questions. Um, my first question is, is this associated with any type of a pre-planned service app curriculum going forward?

That's a great question. I'm glad you asked that. Absolutely. No, this is simply about a definition and see how many different gardens may bloom from it. But we've got those gardens blooming in objective, objective, observable ways.

Okay. Um, another thing is that whenever we define things that leads to, you know, changes in, in other places as well. And I am glad that this term that you're looking at defining this term, I think that's a good thing. I I'm actually in support of the idea of defining this term because I think there's a lot of people right now who quite frankly don't trust the conversations related to relationships and, and social stuff that's happening in the, in the schools. Even with the best intentions. I think things are just, people are feeling unsure about what's going on. Um, but there's words in here like, um, mutually beneficial relationships. And I'm feeling like that might be a little subjective of a term. And so how, how would that not lead into any type of romantic type relationship? I know that in some, the family policy world, the term healthy relationships has kind of been spun into a, a sexual direction lots of times. How, how are we gonna make sure that these terms don't get spun in that direction? Is there any kind of a safeguard there?

Well, I guess what we heard from Representative Peterson's bill, people can spin all kinds of things, but the idea is we're gonna define it down as best we can. Lemme have Mr. Kozlowski take that one. So,

Yourself And yeah, by the way, my name is David Kozlowski, licensed marriage and family therapist specialist in suicide prevention and family relationships. Um, so yeah, to, I'm actually glad you brought that up about mutually beneficial relationships. I have a confession. I did not come up with this definition. This definition is 3000 years old. Let me explain. In 2008, so I was adopted by my Samoan grandmother. Uh, don't let the Polish name uh, confuse you. I'm actually Mexican and Samoan, but when someone gives you a name and gives you food, you just take it, right? So, uh, in 2008, I was finally allowed to visit my Samoan family in American Samoa. And when I was there, I learned a very two very powerful things that literally when I left there and I came back here, we started these social health groups in Herriman. So to answer that question, in Samoa, they have a term called Fa Samoa. So Samoa is known as the cradle of Polynesia. And by the way, anybody can look up what I'm saying. This is public knowledge. The reason why it's known as the creative of the cradle of Polynesia. 'cause the Tongan, the Maui, and the Hawaiian culture is all descended from Samoa. So what I'm about to share with you in this phrase and how this created this definition was that it branched out into all Polynesian homes throughout the world. So what it means is the Samoan way, but in direct translation it means all is one. So in the Simone cultures, people fished, they were fighters. They were, um, uh, basket makers and they all shared everything together. So I asked my grandfather, I go, what does that really mean in like a working definition? And when he told me, he goes, if everyone in the community adds something that has value, you know, you matter. So if an old lady gets sick, she may be old and not do anything now, but she spent 80 years of supplying goods and services and knowledge of the community. So that way we take care of her at that time. And he said that phrase, he goes, it's a mutually beneficial relationship. So I thought about that as a psychology, uh, you know, and, and doing therapy. I'm like, wait a second. Your best friends are the ones, like they get to pick the dinner, you get to pick the movie. So I, the way I describe mutually beneficial relationships is that everybody gets a win. What Dax, what Dax just shared is that when you have a high school class and you have kids of all different, uh, social groups, some of those groups get more wins than others. I was a football player at the University of Utah. I'm embarrassed how egotistical I was in high school and how much I didn't reach out to kids that were quiet and, and didn't have a lot of friends. So this, this class was really an evolution of what I learned in Samoa, what I learned in my field of study in psychology. And we created a support group in 2010 that one of the fathers here will attest this by Kennecott sponsored the support group for 10 years. We did a support group, a social health support group. We defined the terms from 10 2010 to 2012. Then we opened up in 2015 to Pleasant Grove because the mayor in Pleasant Grove, it's public knowledge, but there was someone close to him that had a suicide attempt. We ran these beta tests for 10 decades. You could look at our website and you'll see there was kids that represented the lgbtq plus community kids that represented the LDS community. Many of them are here right now. And the one thing they found out that brought them all together was hurt and pain. It doesn't matter how you become suicidal. Once you become suicidal, you can benefit from a mutual relationship of someone else sharing that they're pain. So I know that was a log description, but I'm so glad you asked. I've been waiting 20, almost 20 years to share that with someone.

And, and I would just add representative that, that I think some of the proof is in the pudding where, you know, what happened at Herriman and the programs and the definition kind of developed from the kids. But then the other thing I would add is, the great thing about doing things at the state level is if we need to tweak it a little bit going forward, we tweak it going forward, but we lock it down as best we can now. And this has been proven through the, the things that they've been doing over the last decade. And

Thank you. One final, one final thing I'll say is that I wanna make it clear I'm not trying to create a new fringe term or you know, some new trendy terminology. As a definition. This has been working to keep the Polynesian community for together for 3000 years through colonization, through technology. If any of you have the pleasure of knowing a Polynesian family, when you go to those households, you know that there's something different about their connection. I'm just asking that, that gets put into law.

I had one other, if that's okay, Mr. Chair. Okay. I'm just, if they can answer it fast, I'll ask

Okay. I'm gonna ask it fast. Hopefully you can answer it fast. Okay. Um, so with the conversation that was just had, and I appreciate all of that explanation, it sounds like there's a methodology in mind that's supposed to go with this definition and I'm afraid that I'm not understanding the actual implementation methodology or something because you were talking about tracking at a school. Like, okay, well we saw that this was brought in and, but like, how is it brought in? That's what I'm, that's what I'm having a hard time holding

Onto. Yeah. I think representative, there are a number of different programs out there doing forms of this and, and they're all kind of coming to the same place. Maybe you can quickly touch on that.

Yeah. This is an easy one. A definition describes what it is. That's it. The standards are the application, the how you go about doing it. So one thing that I've realized as a mental health professional mental health, unlike the, the, the physical health and medical professional, it's very different. Like, we don't communicate very well. I know so many parent groups and I, you guys probably support many of these groups that we're all kind of saying the same thing, but we're not describing one definition or one flag for us to all fall together and support. So I want this to be a collaborative effort. Effort. I want people to take everything they've learned in their communities and bring it together. So this is just a definition that defines something. And that's it.

Thank you Mr. Chair. Looking at the substitute bill. Looks like that. Yeah, we do have a definition here, but if I'm reading correctly, going down to line 1 37 through one 40, we're also mandating the instruction in kindergarten through grade six on the entirety of the section two, including trafficking, sex abuse, um, uh, the success sequence, physiology, human development, um, uh, including the social health. Um, and uh, I'm just curious if that was the intent and why, where

We Yeah, that was already there from last year. I think it was House Bill 2 81 and we had proposed to add high school to that, but we took that out. So this just takes it back to what it was from House Bill 2 81 last year.

So this, you're saying that this is existing language, even though it's listed as a red line? It

It, it is. And then what it does is, so House Bill 2 81 called it situational awareness and they kind of describe some things in different ways. And so, but it, but it talked about teaching those things and so we're defining that as social health and putting that back in. But that came from House Bill 2 81. And so the definition we're just adding that into what House Bill 2 81 did last year.

And I apologize Mr. Chair because of time, please ahead. But this is, this is critical to me to understand. 'cause as I read that section that an lea a shall ensure that a student receives in kindergarten grade through six, the age appropriate instruction described in subsection two, A, BEHI and all of the instruction described in subsection two on at least two occasions between grade seven and through seven and 12. And I just wanna make sure that I'm understanding you're saying that that is existing language even though it's listed here? Yeah. Redland as new language.

No, that's right. That's existing. And so if you look at section two and you follow it down, the only thing we're adding to section two is the definition of social health. And so then that ties back into what 2 81 last year already had for them to teach.

But to be clear, you're adding it to K through six as well, the portions of that. Yeah,

That's, that's what House Bill 2 81. Yeah, that's what House Bill 2 81 did. And, and, and they didn't really have a definition. They were describing teaching social health and they described a number of things there, but it just takes those and puts that within the definition of social health. That was already, uh, uh, 2 81 to be taught in case

Um, perhaps I, I may have to reach out to the drafter just to be sure. Okay.

And that was, that was the intention, right? Originally we thought let's, let's have that go through K 12 and talking with USB. We said, no, let's just put it back where it was. And that's, that's where that went.

Hello, my name is Chelsea Hagman and I represent myself. I am, um, an elementary school librarian and I am strongly in support of this bill. I have run the Mental Health Week at our school for the last four years. And I've seen that the students really need extra support with emotional regulations, learning how to talk about their emotions, conflict resolution. Um, I specifically teach this in the library with, um, literature that's appropriate for each grade level. And I see the work that the counselor's doing and we wanna make sure that this continues to happen in our schools. This is very important. Every teacher I work with talks about and recognizes the need to help students process, excuse me, process their social and emotional needs on a daily basis. We really need to make sure that this is solidified in, um, our schools because we, it is already happening daily. I see it with my own students, my own children that need help with their emotional regulation, especially since COVID. Um, and these are life skills that every employer is gonna look for. So, um, I urge you to please support this bill. My mother died from depression and I wish she had the support that she needed for this. So thank you.

Yes, Jenny Earl. Um, I'm on the state board of education, but I'm not speaking on behalf of the board. I'm speaking on behalf of myself. Uh, just a couple things. I do appreciate the sub. I just want you to know that the, because it removed that measurement thing that is very difficult to do when you're talking social things. It gets into, um, some measurement pieces. And I, you know, as I went through our standards, 'cause when I read the bill, I thought, well, where are we at in our standards already? Um, we, we do this in K through 12 when I talk about, um, in our health courses, making friends, um, building relationships, positive engagement, conflict resolution. So, um, this falls in alignment with that. I'm not sure how, what was just brought up at the end, I'm gonna have to go look again what the impact is of lines 1 41 through 1 42, if that dramatically alters what we have going on in our standards and requires significant revision. So I'll have to look at that. Anyways, those are my comments. Thank you.

I promise it'll be brief. Mr. Chair, thank you for that indulgence. So I remember years ago looking through the health standards that were created, um, in our, in our state curriculum. And I remember some things being in there related to suicide prevention even for kindergarten. Correct me if I am wrong. Um, but it was mentioned, I know at that time and when I was in a group looking at all of those standards, what health things are currently taught right now in kindergarten, are there any health things? And if so, what are they? Do you know? Well,

And as I just said a minute ago, I don't know that we have suicide prevention as that wording. I don't think that's not there. But what we do have is building friendships. We have, um, and I I could pull it up. I could actually send it to you 'cause I actually pulled them up earlier. So, Nicola, I, I, Representative Peck, I can send those to you. Thank you. Would that be okay? I'll do that.

Hello, I'm Camila Gomez. I'm a special education teacher that teaches in the Valley. Uh, I represent myself, but I also wanna talk to you about my wife. My wife is a school social worker who deals with social, um, and mental health on a daily basis. And when she comes home every single day, I hear about all the kids that are feeling these thoughts. They're feeling deep thoughts and it's impacting their education. And I actually went through how many times as a teacher today that I've had to deal with mental health and I've had to deal with social situations in my school. And it was about five and that's just today. Um, first and foremostly, uh, every single recess I have to go teach football because our students keep fighting and they keep pushing each other saying nasty things to each other. And, um, I wanted to teach them how we can be good and responsible and teach each other how to do these things. Additionally, I also, um, had the conversation about how, what the word humble means because in our, uh, daily readings we often read, um, about, or uh, we we we talk about language and I'm sorry,

Yes. Um, so we talk about language and I wanted to emphasis the word humble and what that means and how when we put others down, it doesn't make us feel great. And so that's kind of a conversation that we, we led le led to today. And I wanted to talk about this.

Corinne Johnson, Utah Parents United. So I helped draft HB 2 81 last year where a team of us, including many of the good representatives here in this room, as well as Stephanie ghi, our bill sponsor, the, the Help Utah Health and Health Human Health Services Department, Sutherland Institute and others worked on our health standards. And we made sure to address and include healthy personal relationships and family relationships as a standard in that bill. And I would like to add that we did add many definitions, like the success sequence, et cetera, in HB 2 81. However, we left it up to the State Board of Education to determine how those health standards would be implemented. And it was not required in K through six that was left up to the USBE. So it is as well as, as far as I understand, a new requirement to now teach this in K through six. Um, so I would request that this bill be held. Thank you.

Hi, crystal Young lobbyist representing myself. I was also part of the team last year. And first I wanna congratulate the good representative because I think anything we can do that encourages mental health and suicide prevention in schools is, is very important. But I wanna limit my, uh, comments to the question about the, the edits to subsection three, which I think in the sub are now 1 37 through one 40. Uh, if I could make a suggestion for language there that I think would solve a lot of people's heartburn, um, about this section is limited to an LEA shall ensure that a student receives the instruction described in subsection two on at least two occasions period. And then it is set with USBE and R standards. And I think that would be pretty clean. So Hopefully you can do that. Thank

Yes, thank you. My name is Tiana McCall. I'm here representing the Utah School Social Work Association and the Utah, um, chapter for the National Association of Social Workers. We wholeheartedly support HB three 17 because it recognizes social health, health as an essential life skill that can be taught and strengthened, just like physical health or academics, helping students build healthy relationships, regulate emotions and experience belonging supports wellbeing, safety, and long-term success. HB three 17 places social health within the existing health curriculum in an age appropriate structured way, focusing on practical preventative skills that reduce conflict and support positive decision making. This bill aligns with longstanding educational goals and maintains parental involvement and transparency. And for these reasons, we believe HB three 17 is a balanced and thoughtful approach that strengthens student wellbeing and benefits schools and communities across Utah. Thank you.

Hello, my name is Kevin LaBresh. I am President-elect of the Utah Association of School Psychologists. Um, I'm just speaking on behalf of myself today, but I strongly support this bill. Um, our school behavioral health coalitions have really been emphasizing this work over the past few years, particularly since the pandemic, which was a challenging time for all of us. And when we look at our most recent sharp survey data from this year, we saw significant improvements in students self-report, um, of their wellbeing. We saw double digit percentage drops in most areas related to mental health challenges, substance abuse, suicidal ideations. Um, so what we're doing is working and I think really speaks to that importance of that importance of social health instruction. So I'm just glad to see these skills, um, being emphasized. I appreciate the sponsor for running this bill and I would encourage your support. Thank you.

Yes. Um, I move to delete lines 1 37 through the new parts in lines. 1 37.

Excuse me. I am on the sub. We didn't move the sub yet, did we? We have not

Yes, I amend my motion. I move that we adopt first substitute HB three 17.

Waive. Thank

Thank you. I move to delete. Whoa, whoa,

Vote, Dan, I'm just trying to go fast now.

Okay. So now can I

to make a motion, thank You. I move that we delete from lines, uh, lines 1 37 to one 40, all of the new parts that would be added into code.

Yeah. And reinstate the part that says A student shall receive, A student shall receive.

Yes, just briefly. It seems like the intent of the sponsor is really the definition for the clarity, and I feel like that a lot of the frustration and communication and maybe heartburn on this is really coming from the ages and is it new for certain ages and that kind of thing. So I think we keep it to how it's been going with the ages, and we just put that nice definition in there.

No, that's fine. I think the original discussion was to have this as something K 12 and then we thought we put it back to the way it was. Obviously we didn't do that. And so I'm, I'm think it's a, a friendly motion and she's correct. The idea is to lock this definition down so that it can't be, uh, misinterpreted misapplied. So I, I welcome the motion.

motion to amend I waive.

Thank you, Mr. Chair. Um, I move to hold and I would love to speak to that.

Yes. Thank you. I really appreciate your work on this, uh, representative. I understand what you are trying to do. I am still seeing, like every single person who testified for this bill basically indicated that what this bill is trying to do is already happening. That is my concern. If what the bill is trying to do is already happening and they feel like this will allow them to continue to do what they're already doing, I don't see how it tightens up anything or redirects anything. Um, and that's the concern. Our schools are not built to provide everything for everyone. It's impossible. And our schools are so stretched thin. Um, so I think that there's, there's some changes that can be made. I, I think that, um, that I can't call her board member 'cause she was speaking of her on her own accord, but, um, Jenny's comments, uh, indicate that there's, there's a place we can get to, but I just don't think it's there yet. And so that's my motion and, uh, again, I just appreciate the sponsor's work.

Tha Thank you Mr. Chair. Uh, yeah, that's exactly the point. It is already happening and because it's already happening, the, the idea of this bill is just to define what is happening so that other things don't happen. We want this to be about mutually beneficial relationships and not about things that we've seen come into schools under the guise of social health. And so there are great things happening. There are standards. This isn't about putting new things into the schools. It's about just like it was amusing to be here for that last bill on, on Representative Peterson's bill when there was this debate over what is conscience and belief. And this is just saying we already have social health instruction and standards and, and we're defining that to put a limit to it. So I would, uh, speak in opposition to the motion, encourage, uh, uh, the body to re reject that, please. Alright.

Yeah. Thank you Mr. Chair. I'd like to offer a substitute motion to favorably, uh, favorably recommend, uh, first substitute of, uh, house Bill three 17 to the floor.

Yeah, I would. I, um, I might, one of my biggest concerns was, um, uh, what my, my good colleague, um, struck from, from the bill, um, with her offered amendment. Um, I, I do not believe schools are made, um, and equipped to be an a, be a be all, end all, um, I and to provide everything for our kids. But I can say that I've spent enough time in our schools to know that we need to have a definition and a standard, especially when we're dealing with this topic, this issue that has become so political in so many ways. Um, the reality is these things are dealt with on a daily basis. I've been in classrooms with desks being thrown across the room. I've been in classrooms where kids are hitting each other and biting each other, pulling hair. I've got pictures on my phone of bruises and scratches up teachers' arms. Um, we need to have a standard definition, in my opinion, this depoliticize a little bit, the social, social element, um, or social conversation, um, um, that, that we have in schools. We all want to protect our kids. We all want to protect our, our, um, our students. We are concerned about, quote unquote social and emotional learning, um, in the very devious and horrible ways, um, that I, I, I believe that we can have examples of it happening, but I think it's the exception, um, and not the rule. And I think that the good sponsor here, um, is providing something that I think is valuable and provides guidance, um, and, uh, would encourage my colleagues, um, to, to support the, to support my motion.

Appreciate the motion. As you know, this, this diagram is US B'S diagram that, you know, physical, mental, social, and it, it, exactly as the representative said, this is about locking a definition down so that it does depoliticize it. This is about building healthy relationships. It's not about politics, it's not about ideology. It's about helping kids understand how to get along in their community, their family, so they can grow up to self govern and understand how to take our places someday. I would encourage support for the motion. Thank you.

Point of order. Yes. Are you coming back to me as the maker of the original motion?

Thank you. I will not be supporting that motion. And, and this is why, just really quickly, if we're trying to lock things down, um, and we are trying to help young people who are still developing and are in critical stages of brain development and neurodevelopment this definition, um, in my opinion, does not do that. So for instance, the last line says to develop an optimal relationship with self. So I just quickly asked Google what an optimal relationship with self is. And Google said, an optimal relationship with oneself is built on unconditional self acceptance, compassion, and consistent self care, where one acts as their own supportive partner, friend, and mentor. And while I think it's very important to mentor oneself and to support oneself and be positive about oneself, I also think that really healthy self-evaluation about where one is at and where one could be if one may be changed a little bit is very important, especially for our young people. And to send a message that we simply just want to carte blanche talk about healthy relationships without really defining what those mean. I think this is a dangerous precedent and I, I, so I will be voting against the motion.

I'll waive. Okay. Thank you.

If, if I may sum just quickly,

Word I was gonna say. I think that we already did. Yeah, I came.

I would just point to the word optimal. That's all. Okay.

Representatives. Er no. Lyon. Yes. Hayes. Yes. Liz and B. No. McPherson, no. Millard. Yes. Moss? Yes. Peck? Yes. Thompson? Yes. Welton? Yes. Vice chair. Defe. Yes. Chair. Walter? No.

Thank you. Chairman Committee.

First substitute House Bill three 17, social Health in Public education curriculum by Representative Ivory. This bill was heard in education with the vote of 8 4 3. Representative Kanosh Ivory.

Mr. Speaker motion to circle

We're just working on some clarifications. Uh, some confusion on what the bill is not making sure we clarify that.

I would. I would. Thank you very much. Mr. Speaker. Uh, the originators of this bill have been doing excellent work, including at Harriman High School, following a suicide epidemic crisis that they had in 2017. And they introduced a program of social health and it worked wonders there. And in many other schools, we know that as beings, we physical, mental, social is critical. And Mr. Speaker, I thought, how hard could it be to do a bill to just define social health? And turns out I got emails that I'm the Satan of SEL and that, uh, somebody even said my wife works for the bill originator and they haven't even met until two weeks ago. And turns out that it's pretty hard to define something like social health, but it is helping children saving lives. And so we need to get this definition right, Mr. Speaker. And so what we intend to do is have this return to rules and then to the Administrative Rules committee so that we can work with the state school board and make sure that we get something that seems very simple, very right, because the work that they're doing with social health as the third pillar of our health is saving the lives of our children. And Mr. Speaker, that's the motion.

Much as you know, I thought I was 15 years hiding to come out to be, you know, the king of SEL. I think I'll retire from that and return to my conservative line and, and work with these good people to get this definition right.