Comprehensive Mental Health in Schools Pilot Program Act of 2021

I 117TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 3549 To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a pilot grant program to develop, implement, and evaluate comprehensive mental health services programs in elementary schools and secondary schools, and for other purposes. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES MAY 25, 2021 Mr. TRONE introduced the following bill; which was referred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To direct the Secretary of Education to establish a pilot grant program to develop, implement, and evaluate com- prehensive mental health services programs in elementary schools and secondary schools, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representa- 1 tives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, 2 SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 3 This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Comprehensive Mental 4 Health in Schools Pilot Program Act of 2021’’. 5 SEC. 2. MENTAL HEALTH PILOT GRANT PROGRAM. 6 (a) PURPOSES.—The purposes of the program estab- 7 lished under this section are to— 8 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 2 •HR 3549 IH (1) prioritize, with respect to all elementary 1 school and secondary school students— 2 (A) academic, cognitive, social-emotional, 3 and identity development; 4 (B) mental and behavioral health; and 5 (C) physical health; 6 (2) meet the priorities described in paragraph 7 (1) by intervening with equitable multi-tier systems 8 of support; 9 (3) support measurable outcomes, which focus 10 on continuous improvement instead of punitive 11 measures; 12 (4) ensure equitable access to high-quality, safe, 13 and supportive learning environments; 14 (5) integrate the teaching of social, emotional, 15 and cognitive learning skills and competencies 16 throughout all aspects of the elementary school and 17 secondary school environments, including through 18 standalone measures; 19 (6) use evidence-based instructional materials, 20 practices, programs, and resources to implement the 21 practices described in paragraph (5); 22 (7) build expertise among trusted adults with 23 respect to responding to the mental and behavioral 24 health needs of students in elementary school and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 3 •HR 3549 IH secondary school communities, including teachers, 1 administrators, specialized instructional support per- 2 sonnel, paraprofessionals, other staff, parents, and 3 caregivers; and 4 (8) hire a full complement of mental and behav- 5 ioral health professionals to ensure an appropriate 6 ratio of students to such professionals. 7 (b) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 90 days after the 8 date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary shall es- 9 tablish a pilot grant program to award grants, on a com- 10 petitive basis, to local educational agencies to— 11 (1) establish, develop, implement, and evaluate 12 a comprehensive, multi-tier system of support with 13 respect to mental and behavioral health services pro- 14 grams in elementary schools and secondary schools 15 served by such local educational agencies; and 16 (2) fully fund comprehensive mental and behav- 17 ioral health services in such elementary schools and 18 secondary schools. 19 (c) CONSULTATION AND ASSISTANCE.—In estab- 20 lishing the program under subsection (b), the Secretary 21 shall— 22 (1) consult with nationally-recognized organiza- 23 tions that identify, support, and advocate for evi- 24 dence-based social-emotional learning policy and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 4 •HR 3549 IH practices and multi-tier systems of support within el- 1 ementary schools and secondary schools; 2 (2) consult with nationally recognized organiza- 3 tions— 4 (A) with expertise in child, adolescent, and 5 developmental mental health; and 6 (B) that identify, support, and advocate 7 for evidence-based prevention of, and interven- 8 tion for, child trauma; and 9 (3) provide technical assistance to grant recipi- 10 ents with respect to implementation and execution of 11 activities under this section. 12 (d) APPLICATION.— 13 (1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant 14 under this section, a local educational agency shall 15 submit to the Secretary an application at such time, 16 in such manner, and containing such information as 17 the Secretary may require, including— 18 (A) a needs assessment; 19 (B) a plan to— 20 (i) during the grant period described 21 in subsection (f), implement the activities 22 described under subsection (h); and 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 5 •HR 3549 IH (ii) after the conclusion of the grant 1 period described in subsection (f), maintain 2 such activities; and 3 (C) a cost assessment with respect to im- 4 plementing the plan described in subparagraph 5 (B). 6 (2) TIMING.—A local educational agency may 7 only submit an application during the period— 8 (A) beginning on the date that the Sec- 9 retary establishes the program under subsection 10 (b); and 11 (B) ending on the date that is 120 days 12 after the date described in subparagraph (A). 13 (3) NOTIFICATION PERIOD.—The Secretary 14 shall notify each local educational agency that sub- 15 mits an application under this subsection of the deci- 16 sion to award, or not award, a grant to such agency 17 not later than 90 days after the date that is the 18 final day of the period described in paragraph 19 (2)(B). 20 (e) PRIORITY.—In awarding grants under this sec- 21 tion, the Secretary shall give priority to local educational 22 agencies that— 23 (1) serve high-poverty elementary schools and 24 secondary schools; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 6 •HR 3549 IH (2) with respect to the services described in 1 paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection (h)— 2 (A) provide such services within such ele- 3 mentary schools and secondary schools; or 4 (B) provide an assurance, in the applica- 5 tion submitted under subsection (d), that such 6 local educational agency will use grant funds 7 awarded under this section to implement such 8 services within such elementary schools and sec- 9 ondary schools. 10 (f) GRANT PERIOD.— 11 (1) DURATION.—A grant awarded under this 12 section shall be for a period of 4 consecutive aca- 13 demic years. 14 (2) BEGINNING OF GRANT PERIOD.—The grant 15 period described in paragraph (1) shall begin on the 16 date that is the first day of the first academic year 17 beginning after the Secretary notifies each local edu- 18 cational agency under subsection (d)(3). 19 (g) SUPPLEMENT NOT SUPPLANT.—Grant funds 20 provided under this section shall be used to supplement, 21 not supplant, other Federal, State, or local funds available 22 to carry out the activities described in subsection (h). 23 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 7 •HR 3549 IH (h) GRANT USES.—A local educational agency shall 1 use grant funds awarded under this section for the fol- 2 lowing activities: 3 (1) Evaluating the needs of the elementary 4 schools and secondary schools served by such local 5 educational agency with respect to the activities de- 6 scribed in paragraphs (2) through (4). 7 (2) Implementing, in consultation with teachers 8 and school mental and behavioral health profes- 9 sionals, evidence-based universal social-emotional 10 learning programs, approaches, and supports, in- 11 cluding by— 12 (A) incorporating principles of motivation 13 and engagement and resiliency training into 14 class instruction; 15 (B) promoting connections by establishing 16 regular collaboration and communication be- 17 tween and among students, parents, caregivers, 18 and staff; 19 (C) promoting a safe, equitable, sup- 20 portive, and healthy school climate that is ra- 21 cially, culturally, developmentally, and linguis- 22 tically responsive to encourage positive behavior 23 and academic engagement; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 8 •HR 3549 IH (D) establishing racially, culturally, devel- 1 opmentally, and linguistically appropriate evi- 2 dence-based trauma-informed and trauma-com- 3 petent practices to support students and staff; 4 (E) establishing evidence-informed psycho- 5 logical supports for students and staff to pro- 6 mote a sense of agency, safety, calmness, self- 7 efficacy, mindfulness, and coping skills; and 8 (F) adopting positive, non-punitive, restor- 9 ative policies to address challenging behaviors, 10 discipline, and de-escalation, focused on devel- 11 oping, maintaining, and repairing relationships 12 in place of utilizing retributive and exclusionary 13 practices. 14 (3) Implementing targeted interventions that 15 are equitable for all students and that support emo- 16 tional management, goal setting, and establishing 17 routines and consistency, including— 18 (A) evidence-based and trauma-informed 19 screening and referral to mental and behavioral 20 health services; 21 (B) small groups for support, problem-solv- 22 ing, and strengthening collaborations; 23 (C) peer support groups; 24 (D) parent and caregiver engagement; 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 9 •HR 3549 IH (E) periodic check-in meetings with stu- 1 dents during the regular school day; 2 (F) by monitoring for evidence of food in- 3 security, homelessness, neglect, and abuse, in- 4 cluding with respect to disadvantaged students; 5 and 6 (G) personalized learning experiences, ac- 7 commodations, modifications, and technical sup- 8 ports as appropriate for students. 9 (4) Implementing intensive supports, includ- 10 ing— 11 (A) individualized intervention and support 12 from school-based professionals; 13 (B) by hiring such school-based profes- 14 sionals; and 15 (C) ongoing evidence-based and trauma-in- 16 formed progress monitoring of students and 17 intervention based on such monitoring. 18 (5) Providing professional development for 19 teachers and other school staff with respect to— 20 (A) developing a healthy learning climate, 21 including through positive classroom manage- 22 ment, enhancing empathy and respect, and pro- 23 moting a sense of belonging for students; 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 10 •HR 3549 IH (B) integrating social and emotional learn- 1 ing, motivation and engagement, and resiliency 2 training into classroom instruction and prac- 3 tices; 4 (C) the impact of adverse childhood experi- 5 ences and traumatic experiences on the health 6 and development of students; 7 (D) evidence-based and trauma-informed 8 approaches to teaching and managing student 9 behavior; 10 (E) racially, culturally, developmentally, 11 and linguistically appropriate techniques for 12 providing more agency to students; 13 (F) implicit bias and restorative justice 14 practices; and 15 (G) racially, culturally, developmentally, 16 and linguistically responsive teaching. 17 (i) EVALUATION.— 18 (1) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary shall— 19 (A) not later than 1 year before the last 20 day of the grant period described in subsection 21 (f), enter into a contract with a nationally-rec- 22 ognized educational evaluation institution or or- 23 ganization; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 11 •HR 3549 IH (B) not later than 1 year after the conclu- 1 sion of the grant period described in subsection 2 (f), coordinate with such institution or organi- 3 zation to provide an evaluation of the pilot 4 grant program, including— 5 (i) a determination with respect to the 6 sufficient ratio of school-based profes- 7 sionals to students; 8 (ii) information with respect to the 9 practices used by local educational agencies 10 to improve the mental and behavioral well- 11 being of students; 12 (iii) information with respect to in- 13 creased competencies among teachers and 14 other school staff on social and emotional 15 learning and trauma-informed practices; 16 (iv) data on the mental and behavioral 17 health outcomes of students, in the aggre- 18 gate and disaggregated by— 19 (I) race and ethnicity; 20 (II) gender; 21 (III) sexual orientation; 22 (IV) status as an English learn- 23 er; and 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 12 •HR 3549 IH (V) status as a student with a 1 disability; and 2 (v) a recommendation as to whether 3 such program should be continued or ex- 4 panded. 5 (2) PUBLICATION.—The Secretary shall make 6 the evaluation required under paragraph (1) publicly 7 available on the website of the Department. 8 (3) REPORT.—Not later than 60 days after the 9 completion of the evaluation required under para- 10 graph (1), the Secretary shall submit to Congress a 11 report on the outcome of the pilot grant program, 12 including a recommendation with respect to con- 13 tinuing or expanding the program. 14 (j) CONTINUATION OF PROGRAM.— 15 (1) APPLICATIONS.—If the evaluation required 16 under subsection (i)(1) contains a recommendation 17 that the pilot grant program should be continued or 18 expanded, the Secretary— 19 (A) may continue or expand such program; 20 and 21 (B) if such program is expanded or contin- 22 ued— 23 (i) shall allow a local educational 24 agency that did not receive a grant under 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 22:54 Jun 23, 2021 Jkt 019200 PO 00000 Frm 00012 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H3549.IH H3549 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42PROD with BILLS 13 •HR 3549 IH the pilot program established under this 1 section to apply for a grant in accordance 2 with subsection (d)(1); and 3 (ii) shall allow a local educational 4 agency that received a grant under the 5 pilot program established under this sec- 6 tion to apply for a renewal of such grant 7 for an additional period of 4 consecutive 8 academic years. 9 (2) EVALUATION.—Not later than 1 year after 10 the first grant is awarded o [Text truncated for display. 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