Reps. Christian Menefee, D-Texas, and Frederica Wilson, D-Fla., introduced the Suicide Prevention for At-Risk K-12 Students Act, or SPARKS Act, on Nov. 12. The bill would help public schools adopt proven youth suicide prevention programs.
The bill, HR 10991, would direct the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to identify evidence-based, culturally responsive suicide prevention programs for public K-12 schools. SAMHSA would fund two-year grants for schools to put those programs in place and evaluate them. The agency would also give schools technical assistance and report its findings to Congress to guide future suicide prevention funding.
Suicide was the second-leading cause of death among Americans ages 10 to 24 in 2023, according to Mr. Menefee’s office. Suicide rates among Black youth more than doubled from 2010 to 2023, and American Indian and Alaska Native youth still have the highest rates, the office said.
“What works for kids in one community might not work for kids in another,” Mr. Menefee said.
Ms. Wilson, a former teacher and principal, said the bill would help schools prevent youth suicide with proven programs that reflect their students’ cultures and experiences.
The American Association of Suicidology, Suicide Awareness Voices of Education and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention have endorsed the bill. Its other co-leads are Reps. LaMonica McIver, D-N.J.; Hank Johnson, D-Ga.; Ritchie Torres, D-N.Y.; and Bonnie Watson Coleman, D-N.J., as well as Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton, D-D.C.
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