HR7092-119

What This Bill Does

The RAYS Act adds a student mental-health contact requirement to the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Local educational agencies that issue identification cards to secondary-school students must include contact information for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and a state or local suicide-prevention hotline if available. Agencies that do not issue secondary-school ID cards must publish the same contacts on a public website and include them on student computer portals and software platforms. Schools can print the information, use stickers, or choose another method. If 988 or the Crisis Text Line becomes unavailable or ineffective, the Secretary of Education may designate an alternative service and must notify local educational agencies within 60 days. The bill also lets agencies add school counselor or school mental-health contacts and put the information on staff IDs. The Secretary of Education, with HHS and other agencies, must conduct accessible outreach to students, parents, school personnel, and the public.

Who Benefits and How

Secondary-school students, students in crisis, parents, school counselors, 988 Lifeline operators, Crisis Text Line operators, disability communities, and local suicide-prevention hotlines benefit because crisis contacts would be visible on IDs, school websites, and student platforms. Local educational agencies benefit from flexible compliance methods such as stickers or digital posting when cards are not used.

Who Bears the Burden and How

Local educational agencies, school administrators, student ID vendors, school IT staff, education communications teams, the Department of Education, and HHS outreach staff must update ID cards, websites, portals, software platforms, accessibility practices, and outreach materials. Schools that do not already issue updated cards or maintain student portals must track effective dates and ensure required hotline information is current.

Key Provisions

• Requires secondary-school student ID cards to include 988, Crisis Text Line, and available state or local suicide-prevention hotline contacts.
• Requires agencies without student ID cards to post the contacts on public websites and student digital platforms.
• Allows stickers, direct printing, or other methods for putting the contacts on ID cards.
• Authorizes the Secretary of Education to designate alternative services if 988 or the Crisis Text Line becomes unavailable or ineffective.
• Requires federal outreach and accessible information for students, parents, school personnel, and the public.