If the Coaches Care Act becomes law middle and high school coaches in North Carolina would need to complete mental health first aid training to help them recognize when students are struggling with mental health issues or substance abuse. (Photo: Getty Images)
This story mentions suicide. If you or someone you know is contemplating suicide, please call or text the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988.
North Carolina middle and high school coaches could be required to complete mental health training under proposed legislation backed by the state high schoolathletic association.
Supporters say SB 550 is aimed at helping coaches recognize and respond to student mental health needs before they worsen.
“This is not about asking coaches to become counselors,” said Sen. Caleb Theodros (D-Mecklenburg), a co-sponsor of the bill. “It is about making sure that they’re not left guessing when a student needs help.”
Theodros made the comments during a press conference on Thursday.
Suicide is now the second leading cause of death for children in North Carolina, and across the country, 1 in 7 youths ages 6 to 17 experience a mental health disorder each year.
The bill, called the Coaches Care Act, requires coaches to complete mental health first aid training to help them recognize symptoms of mental health struggles and connect students to resources. It was introduced last year but did not move out of the Senate Rules Committee, though this week’s backing from the North Carolina High School Athletic Association could help change that.
The organization voted 17-0 on Wednesday to support the measure.
“The unanimous vote to require mental health training for head coaches is a meaningful step forward for the students we serve,” Commissioner Que Tucker said in a statement to NC Newsline.
Tucker said the organization worked with lawmakers and the Department of Instruction on the proposal. “The NCHSAA is grateful to be part of an effort that prioritizes the well-being of young people,” she said.
“It teaches you how to help others. It teaches you how to help yourself,” said April Simpkins, a mental-health advocate and mother of three Division I athletes. Simpkins, who was at the legislature Thursday, lost her daughter, Cheslie Kryst, to suicide in 2022.
Advocates from the North Carolina chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) also joined the press conference to show their support for the bill. “We want our young adults to be able to come forward and be able to share that physical and mental health go hand in hand,” said Lillian Davis, director of public policy for the group. “When they need things, we want to be able to give them that support they need.”
SB 550 remains in committee and will require Republican support to advance, but Theodros said the NCHSAA backing represents progress.
“The next step will be to kind of regroup with those same Senate Republicans that voice support and have additional aid moving across the finish line.”
The North Carolina Coaches Association did not reply to a request for comment by press time.
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