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Sen. Lukey Tobin presents bill to offer schools guidance, safe-storage devices and parental notification to prevent youth suicide
Summary
Sen. Lukey Tobin introduced Senate Bill 206, an optional program that would give school districts evidence-based parental-notification guidance when students face bullying or express suicidal ideation and create a Department of Administration grant fund to expand access to firearm safe-storage devices; the committee heard invited testimony, discussed fiscal placement and set the bill aside for later consideration.
Juneau — Sen. Lukey Tobin, sponsor of Senate Bill 206, told the Senate Finance Committee on April 30 that her measure would give school districts an optional, evidence-based way to notify parents when a student is bullied, harassed or expresses suicidal ideation and to offer information and tools to reduce access to lethal means.
"This bill simply offers our children time," Tobin said, describing the proposal as voluntary and rooted in research that short decision windows make restricting access to firearms and medications a life-saving step. The bill would require that any district notification plan that is adopted include evidence-based information for parents, advice to store medications and firearms safely, and referral resources; it would also create a firearm safe-storage grant fund, administered by the Department of Administration, to accept grants and donations for devices districts could provide to families.
The bill’s sponsor emphasized the measure does not mandate notification or change lawful gun ownership. "The parent does not need to accept the device, the school district does not need to offer it," Tobin said. "It is simply just a tool and a resource."
Invited witnesses described the public-health rationale. Tara Schmidt, a research specialist working with Alaska partners through the University of Michigan Institute for Social Research, told the committee that reducing access to lethal methods saves lives and cited state and national studies in support. Schmidt said firearms account for 68 percent of suicide deaths in Alaska, and she cited research that storing firearms locked and storing ammunition separately reduces firearm-related death substantially. She described training given to Alaska school crisis staff and survey results pointing to inconsistent parent outreach across districts.
Robert Haddle, a pastor and retired emergency-room nurse who testified from Sitka, recounted clinical and personal experiences with youth suicide and urged the committee to give schools tools to distribute gun locks and storage units and to notify families when children are in acute crisis.
Committee members questioned practical details. Senator Kaufman asked whether districts already have authority to notify parents and whether the bill is necessary; Tobin said statutes are silent on a statewide requirement, and the bill preserves district choice while providing evidence-based guidelines. Senator Kiehl reviewed the fiscal notes filed: the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Education and Early Development provided zero fiscal notes in the packet, though the latter said regulations might change, and the committee is awaiting a fiscal note from the Department of Administration because this version places the fund in Administration. Members discussed whether Department of Fish and Game’s existing distribution of free cable locks might argue for a different host agency; staff said Administration was chosen for procurement expertise and to facilitate access to potential federal grant funds such as Pittman-Robertson.
No formal committee vote was taken on SB 206. With no objection, the chair "set this bill aside" for potential future consideration.
Next steps: the committee may take up SB 206 again after it receives outstanding fiscal information and any suggested language changes; no further timetable was set during the April 30 session.
