§1667e — Title 25 Indians | U.S. Code

Summary

Allows the Secretary to run a trial program testing a school-based, culturally fitting life-skills curriculum to try to prevent suicide among American Indian and Alaska Native youth. The program works with tribes, schools, mental health professionals, parents, and community groups. The Administration or the Indian Health Service can give technical help and clinicians, train teachers and community members, create advisory councils and cultural supports, and base projects on proven models. The law defines the “curriculum” as the chosen school life-skills program and an “eligible entity” as an Indian tribe, tribal organization, other tribally authorized group, or a partnership of two or more of those. The Secretary can pick the curriculum, find tribes at highest risk, invite them to apply, and give grants for youths ages 10 to 19 who attend school in at-risk areas. Grants must be at least 4 years long, there can be no more than 5 grants, all grants must be equal, and at least one program must run in each of a Bureau of Indian Education school, a tribal school, and a school that gets payments under sections 7702 or 7703 of title 20. Applicants must promise to work with local schools and experts, teach the curriculum in class at least twice a week, screen students for mental-health risk and refer them when needed, and provide supportive services for high-risk students. Grants can pay for developing the curriculum, advisory councils, a cultural liaison, on-site MA- or PhD-level mental health staff (if possible from the Service), peer counselor training, technical help, teacher training, referral systems, materials, and program evaluation. The program must have yearly evaluations and a final report to Congress within 180 days after the program ends, with a 90-day public comment period before sending that report. Congress authorized $1,000,000 for each year from 2010 through 2014 to run the program.

Title 25, §1667e

Indians — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The purpose of this section is to authorize the Secretary, acting through the Administration, to carry out a demonstration program to test the effectiveness of a culturally compatible, school-based, life skills curriculum for the prevention of Indian and Alaska Native adolescent suicide, including through—

(1)the establishment of tribal partnerships to develop and implement such a curriculum, in cooperation with—

(A)behavioral health professionals, with a priority for tribal partnerships cooperating with mental health professionals employed by the Service;

(B)tribal or local school agencies; and

(C)parent and community groups;

(2)the provision by the Administration or the Service of—

(A)technical expertise; and

(B)clinicians, analysts, and educators, as appropriate;

(3)training for teachers, school administrators, and community members to implement the curriculum;

(4)the establishment of advisory councils composed of parents, educators, community members, trained peers, and others to provide advice regarding the curriculum and other components of the demonstration program;

(5)the development of culturally appropriate support measures to supplement the effectiveness of the curriculum; and

(6)projects modeled after evidence-based projects, such as programs evaluated and published in relevant literature.

(b)(1)In this subsection:

(A)The term “curriculum” means the culturally compatible, school-based, life skills curriculum for the prevention of Indian and Alaska Native adolescent suicide identified by the Secretary under paragraph (2)(A).

(B)The term “eligible entity” means—

(i)an Indian tribe;

(ii)a tribal organization;

(iii)any other tribally authorized entity; and

(iv)any partnership composed of 2 or more entities described in clause (i), (ii), or (iii).

(2)The Secretary, acting through the Administration, may establish and carry out a demonstration program under which the Secretary shall—

(A)identify a culturally compatible, school-based, life skills curriculum for the prevention of Indian and Alaska Native adolescent suicide;

(B)identify the Indian tribes that are at greatest risk for adolescent suicide;

(C)invite those Indian tribes to participate in the demonstration program by—

(i)responding to a comprehensive program requirement request of the Secretary; or

(ii)submitting, through an eligible entity, an application in accordance with paragraph (4); and

(D)provide grants to the Indian tribes identified under subparagraph (B) and eligible entities to implement the curriculum with respect to Indian and Alaska Native youths who—

(i)are between the ages of 10 and 19; and

(ii)attend school in a region that is at risk of high youth suicide rates, as determined by the Administration.

(3)(A)The term of a grant provided under the demonstration program under this section shall be not less than 4 years.

(B)The Secretary may provide not more than 5 grants under the demonstration program under this section.

(C)The grants provided under this section shall be of equal amounts.

(D)In selecting eligible entities to receive grants under this section, the Secretary shall ensure that not less than 1 demonstration program shall be carried out at each of—

(i)a school operated by the Bureau of Indian Education;

(ii)a Tribal 11 So in original. Probably should not be capitalized. school; and

(iii)a school receiving payments under section 7702 or 7703 of title 20.

(4)To be eligible to receive a grant under the demonstration program, an eligible entity shall submit to the Secretary an application, at such time, in such manner, and containing such information as the Secretary may require, including—

(A)an assurance that, in implementing the curriculum, the eligible entity will collaborate with 1 or more local educational agencies, including elementary schools, middle schools, and high schools;

(B)an assurance that the eligible entity will collaborate, for the purpose of curriculum development, implementation, and training and technical assistance, with 1 or more—

(i)nonprofit entities with demonstrated expertise regarding the development of culturally sensitive, school-based, youth suicide prevention and intervention programs; or

(ii)institutions of higher education with demonstrated interest and knowledge regarding culturally sensitive, school-based, life skills youth suicide prevention and intervention programs;

(C)an assurance that the curriculum will be carried out in an academic setting in conjunction with at least 1 classroom teacher not less frequently than twice each school week for the duration of the academic year;

(D)a description of the methods by which curriculum participants will be—

(i)screened for mental health at-risk indicators; and

(ii)if needed and on a case-by-case basis, referred to a mental health clinician for further assessment and treatment and with crisis response capability; and

(E)an assurance that supportive services will be provided to curriculum participants identified as high-risk participants, including referral, counseling, and follow-up services for—

(i)drug or alcohol abuse;

(ii)sexual or domestic abuse; and

(iii)depression and other relevant mental health concerns.

(5)An Indian tribe identified under paragraph (2)(B) or an eligible entity may use a grant provided under this subsection—

(A)to develop and implement the curriculum in a school-based setting;

(B)to establish an advisory council—

(i)to advise the Indian tribe or eligible entity regarding curriculum development; and

(ii)to provide support services identified as necessary by the community being served by the Indian tribe or eligible entity;

(C)to appoint and train a school- and community-based cultural resource liaison, who will act as an intermediary among the Indian tribe or eligible entity, the applicable school administrators, and the advisory council established by the Indian tribe or eligible entity;

(D)to establish an on-site, school-based, MA- or PhD-level mental health practitioner (employed by the Service, if practicable) to work with tribal educators and other personnel;

(E)to provide for the training of peer counselors to assist in carrying out the curriculum;

(F)to procure technical and training support from nonprofit or State entities or institutions of higher education identified by the community being served by the Indian tribe or eligible entity as the best suited to develop and implement the curriculum;

(G)to train teachers and school administrators to effectively carry out the curriculum;

(H)to establish an effective referral procedure and network;

(I)to identify and develop culturally compatible curriculum support measures;

(J)to obtain educational materials and other resources from the Administration or other appropriate entities to ensure the success of the demonstration program; and

(K)to evaluate the effectiveness of the curriculum in preventing Indian and Alaska Native adolescent suicide.

(c)Using such amounts made available pursuant to subsection (e) as the Secretary determines to be appropriate, the Secretary shall conduct, directly or through a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement with an entity that has experience regarding the development and operation of successful culturally compatible, school-based, life skills suicide prevention and intervention programs or evaluations, an annual evaluation of the demonstration program under this section, including an evaluation of—

(1)the effectiveness of the curriculum in preventing Indian and Alaska Native adolescent suicide;

(2)areas for program improvement; and

(3)additional development of the goals and objectives of the demonstration program.

(d)(1)Subject to paragraph (2), not later than 180 days after the date of termination of the demonstration program, the Secretary shall submit to the Committee on Indian Affairs and the Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions of the Senate and the Committee on Natural Resources and the Committee on Education and Labor of the House of Representatives a final report that—

(A)describes the results of the program of each Indian tribe or eligible entity under this section;

(B)evaluates the effectiveness of the curriculum in preventing Indian and Alaska Native adolescent suicide;

(C)makes recommendations regarding—

(i)the expansion of the demonstration program under this section to additional eligible entities;

(ii)designating the demonstration program as a permanent program; and

(iii)identifying and distributing the curriculum through the Suicide Prevention Resource Center of the Administration; and

(D)incorporates any public comments received under paragraph (2).

(2)The Secretary shall provide a notice of the report under paragraph (1) and an opportunity for public comment on the report for a period of not less than 90 days before submitting the report to Congress.

(e)There is authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section $1,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2010 through 2014.

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Codification section 726 of Pub. L. 94–437 is based on section 181 of title I of S. 1790, One Hundred Eleventh Congress, as reported by the Committee on Indian Affairs of the Senate in Dec. 2009, which was enacted into law by section 10221(a) of Pub. L. 111–148.

Amendments

2015—Subsec. (b)(3)(D)(iii). Pub. L. 114–95 made technical amendment to reference in original act which appears in text as reference to section 7702 or 7703 of title 20.

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Change of Name

Committee on Education and Labor of House of Representatives changed to Committee on Education and the Workforce of House of Representatives by House Resolution No. 5, One Hundred Eighteenth Congress, Jan. 9, 2023.

Effective Date

of 2015 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 114–95 effective Dec. 10, 2015, except with respect to certain noncompetitive programs and competitive programs, see section 5 of Pub. L. 114–95, set out as a note under section 6301 of Title 20, Education.

§1667e Indian youth life skills development demonstration program