News from the Senate Majority
Alaska State Legislature

Wendy Lindskoog, Senate Majority Press Secretary
State Capitol
Juneau, AK 99801-1182
Phone: 907/465-4582
http://www.akrepublicans.org
Broadcast Actualities: 800/478-6540

Senator Donley's Infant Care Education Bill Signed Into Law

For Immediate Release: March 26, 1998 Contact: Senator Dave Donley, at (907) 465-3892.

Juneau – Legislation sponsored by Senator Dave Donley (R - Anchorage) was signed into law adding "infant care" instruction to current recommendations for health curriculum in public schools.

Donley said although Alaska's prenatal and infant care programs are successfully reducing dangers to infants under 3 months of age, Alaska still suffers from a consistently high rate of mortality for infants age 3 months to 1 year. This strongly indicates a problem with a lack of proper infant care instruction.

Senator Donley also pointed out that Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) accounts for a large percentage of infant deaths, and with infant care education we can reduce certain factors known to be present in SIDS deaths such as smoking, improper bedding, and putting babies to sleep in the wrong position.

"Basic infant care education can save the lives of Alaskan babies," said Donley. "Encouraging our schools to provide young Alaskans basic infant care skills is simply common sense. This small change in state law could save the life of a child."

SB 117 does not mandate schools to include infant care instruction in health curriculums. The decision to include the topic is left up to individual school boards. It would join other topics already encouraged by statute to be in public school health curriculum such as drug and alcohol education, family health, environmental health, identification and prevention of child abuse, child abduction, neglect, sexual abuse, and domestic violence.

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