McHenry Times

Rep. Steve Reick voted against HB0577 which would make changes to provisions regarding youth suicide awareness and prevention.

The bill “sets forth some of the characteristics of students at an increased risk of suicide,” according to ilga.gov/legislation.

While making it clear that he does not disapprove of the intent of the bill, he articulated that he disagrees with “adding these things into statute,” and would prefer it as part of a school district’s training.

“I think what we're doing is setting up the possibility of increased liability to school districts when or, if a child, a kid student tragically takes his or her own life,” from a lawyer’s point of view he said.

“If subsequently found that these markers were there but weren't necessarily identified, thus what we're doing is putting our school districts in a position wherein an attorney, and attorneys will sue anybody for anything, will take the statute and say you have an affirmative responsibility to identify this behavior. You failed to do it. Therefore, you are liable for a failure that maybe no one recognized,” Reick explained.

He further said that these kinds of behavior cannot be legislated because it is mostly out of other people’s control of which school districts should not be held liable, which “scares me about this bill.”