To effectively staff the high-need public elementary schools and secondary schools of the United States with school-based mental health services providers.
About This Bill
Committee
Latest Action · May 23, 2024
Referred to the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
This bill would authorize federal grants to help high-need public schools hire more mental health professionals, including school counselors, psychologists, and social workers. The legislation recognizes that one in five children ages thirteen to eighteen has or will have a serious mental illness, and it aims to increase access to mental health services in schools that serve low-income students. States would receive grants based on a formula tied to their Title I funding, and they would pass funds to school districts as subgrants to recruit and retain mental health providers, with the goal of reaching recommended ratios of one counselor per 250 students, one psychologist per 500 students, and one social worker per 250 students. States would be required to match twenty percent of federal funding, and grants would last five years with potential renewal based on progress. The bill authorizes five billion dollars for fiscal year 2025 and additional funding as needed in subsequent years.
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