RAYS Act

The Raising Awareness for Youth Suicide Prevention (RAYS) Act aims to provide students with immediate access to mental health resources by requiring secondary schools to include crisis contact information on student ID cards. Under this proposal, schools that receive federal funding and issue student IDs would be required to list the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and any available state or local suicide prevention hotlines.

For schools that do not issue physical identification cards, the bill proposes that this contact information must be prominently displayed on the school's public website and other digital platforms regularly used by students. The legislation also directs the Department of Education to collaborate with health agencies to conduct outreach campaigns, ensuring that students, parents, and school staff are aware of these resources and that the information is accessible to individuals with disabilities.