Student Support Act

I 116TH CONGRESS 1ST SESSION H. R. 4525 To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for assistance in hiring additional school-based mental health and student service pro- viders. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES SEPTEMBER 26, 2019 Ms. LEE of California (for herself, Mrs. WATSON COLEMAN, Mr. HASTINGS, Mr. RYAN, and Ms. WEXTON) introduced the following bill; which was re- ferred to the Committee on Education and Labor A BILL To amend the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 to direct the Secretary of Education to make grants to States for assistance in hiring additional school-based mental health and student service providers. 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 ‘‘Student Support Act’’. 4 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 2 •HR 4525 IH SEC. 2. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND STUDENT 1 SERVICE PROVIDERS. 2 (a) IN GENERAL.—Part A of title IV of the Elemen- 3 tary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 4 7101 et seq.) is amended by adding at the end the fol- 5 lowing: 6 ‘‘SUBPART 3—SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND 7 STUDENT SERVICE PROVIDERS 8 ‘‘SEC. 4131. FINDINGS. 9 ‘‘The Congress finds the following: 10 ‘‘(1) The Surgeon General of the Public Health 11 Service has found that 1 in 5 children has a 12 diagnosable mental disorder and 1 in 10 children 13 and adolescents suffer from mental illness severe 14 enough to cause some level of impairment. However, 15 75 to 80 percent of children in need of mental 16 health services do not receive needed treatment. The 17 short- and long-term consequences of untreated 18 childhood mental disorders are costly, in both human 19 and fiscal terms. 20 ‘‘(2) Thirty-seven percent of students with a 21 mental health condition age 14 and older drop out 22 of school—the highest dropout rate of any disability 23 group. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 3 •HR 4525 IH ‘‘(3) Fifty percent of all lifetimes cases of men- 1 tal illness begin by the age of 14 and 75 percent by 2 age 24. 3 ‘‘(4) In June 2010, the American Academy of 4 Pediatrics called for all pediatricians to screen chil- 5 dren and adolescents for mental illness and sub- 6 stance use. 7 ‘‘(5) Just over half (50.6 percent) of children 8 with a mental health condition aged 8–15 received 9 mental health services in the previous year. 10 ‘‘(6) African Americans and Hispanic Ameri- 11 cans each use mental health services at about one- 12 half the rate of Caucasian Americans and Asian 13 Americans at about one-third the rate. 14 ‘‘(7) School counselors, school social workers, 15 school psychologists, other qualified psychologists, 16 and child and adolescent psychiatrists are critically 17 needed to help these children and to provide a vari- 18 ety of crucial support services as 70–80 percent of 19 children and adolescents who receive mental health 20 services access these services in school settings. 21 ‘‘(8) Across the United States, there are insuffi- 22 cient resources for school-based counseling profes- 23 sionals, and often students do not get the help they 24 need. The 2017 national average ratio of students to 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00003 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 4 •HR 4525 IH school counselors in elementary and secondary 1 schools was 482 to 1. 2 ‘‘(9) United States public schools need more 3 mental health professionals because participation in 4 the use of school-based mental health centers 5 (SBHC) was positively associated with increases in 6 grade point average (GPA) and attendance. 7 ‘‘(10) According to the leading counseling, guid- 8 ance, and mental health organizations, including the 9 American School Counselor Association, the Na- 10 tional Association of Social Psychologists, the Na- 11 tional Association of Social Workers, and the School 12 Social Work Association of America, the maximum 13 recommended ratio of— 14 ‘‘(A) students to school counselors is 250 15 to 1; 16 ‘‘(B) students to school psychologists is 17 500 to 700 to 1; and 18 ‘‘(C) students to school social workers is 19 250 to 1. 20 ‘‘(11) A recent study revealed a national aver- 21 age ratio of 1,653 students per school psychologist, 22 despite the 1:500–700 recommendation from the 23 National Association of Social Psychologists. This 24 deficit is further compounded by studies predicting 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 5 •HR 4525 IH a 2–4 percent shortage of school psychologists over 1 the next 10 years due to retirement. In some 2 schools, there are no school-based mental health and 3 student service providers available to assist students 4 in times of crisis, or at any other time. 5 ‘‘(12) Counselor-to-student ratios in 35 States 6 exceed 1:400 despite recommendations from the 7 American School Counselor Association for a 1:250 8 ratio. Only three States—Vermont, Wyoming & New 9 Hampshire—meet the recommended ratio. This 10 shortage occurs during a time when the National 11 Center on Education Statistics forecasts that the 12 Nation’s number of public school students (Pre-K to 13 12th) will grow by 7 percent between 2011 and 14 2022, particularly in States that already spend the 15 least money per student. 16 ‘‘(13) Model programs using school-based men- 17 tal health and student service providers have positive 18 effects on emotional, behavioral and academic out- 19 comes, such as reductions in aggressive and disrup- 20 tive behavior, referrals to the principal’s office, the 21 use of weapons, force, or threats, and increased stu- 22 dents’ feelings of safety. Studies also find that men- 23 tal health programs can have a range of positive out- 24 comes across all grade levels, including gains in 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00005 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 6 •HR 4525 IH achievement test scores, grade point averages, course 1 credit completion, as well as decreases in absences 2 and substance use. 3 ‘‘SEC. 4132. PURPOSES. 4 ‘‘The purposes of this subpart are to assist States 5 and local educational agencies in hiring additional school- 6 based mental health providers, including additional school 7 counselors, school psychologists, other qualified psycholo- 8 gists, child and adolescent psychiatrists, and school social 9 workers to achieve each of the following: 10 ‘‘(1) To reduce the ratios of school-based men- 11 tal health and student service providers to students 12 in elementary and secondary schools in the United 13 States to the following minimum ratios rec- 14 ommended by the leading counseling, guidance, and 15 mental health organizations, including the American 16 School Counselor Association, the National Associa- 17 tion of Social Psychologists, the National Associa- 18 tion of Social Workers, and the School Social Work 19 Association of America: 20 ‘‘(A) One school counselor for every 250 21 students. 22 ‘‘(B) One school psychologist for every 500 23 to 700 students. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00006 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 7 •HR 4525 IH ‘‘(C) One school social worker for every 1 250 students. 2 ‘‘(2) To provide evidence-based school mental 3 health and student services through a whole school 4 and interdisciplinary approach. 5 ‘‘(3) To remove emotional, behavioral, and psy- 6 chosocial barriers to learning so as to enhance stu- 7 dents’ classroom preparedness, overall school per- 8 formance, decrease rates of absenteeism, and ability 9 to problem solve and set goals. 10 ‘‘(4) To support school staff and teachers in 11 improving classroom management, conducting be- 12 havioral interventions to improve school discipline, 13 and developing the awareness and skills to identify 14 the need for mental health services. 15 ‘‘(5) To support parental involvement in im- 16 proving the school behavior and academic success of 17 their children. 18 ‘‘(6) To improve the overall mental, behavioral, 19 social, and psychology assessment and trajectory of 20 each student who seeks mental health services. 21 ‘‘(7) To ensure each student feels comfortable 22 and has all the resources they need to continue short 23 and/or long-term mental health treatment. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00007 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 8 •HR 4525 IH ‘‘SEC. 4133. DEFINITIONS. 1 ‘‘In this subpart, the following definitions apply: 2 ‘‘(1) CHILD.—The term ‘child’ means an indi- 3 vidual who is not less than 5 years old and not more 4 than 17 years old. 5 ‘‘(2) CHILD AND ADOLESCENT PSYCHIA- 6 TRIST.—The term ‘child and adolescent psychiatrist’ 7 has the meaning given such term in section 5421(e). 8 ‘‘(3) CHILD IN POVERTY.—The term ‘child in 9 poverty’ means a child from a family with an income 10 below the poverty line. 11 ‘‘(4) MENTAL HEALTH AND STUDENT SERVICE 12 PROVIDER.—The term ‘mental health and student 13 service provider’ means a qualified individual who 14 provides mental health and student services, includ- 15 ing any individual who is a qualified school coun- 16 selor, a qualified school psychologist or any other 17 qualified psychologist, a child or adolescent psychia- 18 trist, or a qualified school social worker. 19 ‘‘(5) MENTAL HEALTH AND STUDENT SERV- 20 ICES.—The term ‘mental health and student serv- 21 ices’ includes direct, individual, and group services 22 provided to students, parents, and school personnel 23 by mental health and student service providers, and 24 the coordination of prevention strategies in schools 25 or community-based programs. 26 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00008 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 9 •HR 4525 IH ‘‘(6) OTHER QUALIFIED PSYCHOLOGIST.—The 1 term ‘other qualified psychologist’ has the meaning 2 given such term in section 5421(e). 3 ‘‘(7) POVERTY LINE.—The term ‘poverty line’ 4 means the poverty line (as defined by the Office of 5 Management and Budget, and revised annually in 6 accordance with section 673(2) of the Community 7 Services Block Grant Act (42 U.S.C. 9902(2))) ap- 8 plicable to a family of the size involved. 9 ‘‘(8) SCHOOL COUNSELOR.—The term ‘school 10 counselor’ means an individual who has documented 11 competence in counseling children and adolescents in 12 a school setting and who— 13 ‘‘(A) possesses State licensure or certifi- 14 cation granted by an independent professional 15 regulatory authority; 16 ‘‘(B) possesses national certification in 17 school counseling or a specialty of counseling 18 granted by an independent professional organi- 19 zation; or 20 ‘‘(C) holds a minimum of a master’s de- 21 gree in school counseling from a program ac- 22 credited by the Council for Accreditation of 23 Counseling and Related Educational Programs 24 or the equivalent. 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00009 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 10 •HR 4525 IH ‘‘(9) SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST.—The term 1 ‘school psychologist’ means an individual who— 2 ‘‘(A) possesses a minimum of 60 graduate 3 semester hours in school psychology from an in- 4 stitution of higher education and has completed 5 1,200 clock hours in a supervised school psy- 6 chology internship, of which 600 hours shall be 7 in a school setting; 8 ‘‘(B) possesses State licensure or certifi- 9 cation in school psychology in the State in 10 which the individual works; or 11 ‘‘(C) possesses national certification by the 12 National School Psychology Certification Board. 13 ‘‘(10) SCHOOL SOCIAL WORKER.—The term 14 ‘school social worker’ means an individual who— 15 ‘‘(A) holds a master’s degree in social work 16 from a program accredited by the Council on 17 Social Work Education; 18 ‘‘(B) is licensed or certified by the State in 19 which services are provided; or 20 ‘‘(C) possesses a national credential or na- 21 tional certification as a school social work spe- 22 cialist granted by an independent professional 23 organization. 24 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00010 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 11 •HR 4525 IH ‘‘(11) STATE.—The term ‘State’ means each of 1 the several States, the District of Columbia, and the 2 Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. 3 ‘‘SEC. 4134. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND STU- 4 DENT SERVICE PROVIDER GRANT PROGRAM. 5 ‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—In accordance with this subpart, 6 the Secretary shall make grants to eligible States to assist 7 local educational agencies in those States in hiring addi- 8 tional school-based mental health and student service pro- 9 viders. 10 ‘‘(b) ALLOCATION OF FUNDS.—From the total 11 amount appropriated for a fiscal year to carry out this 12 subpart, the Secretary shall— 13 ‘‘(1) make available 1 percent of such amount 14 to the Secretary of the Interior (on behalf of the Bu- 15 reau of Indian Affairs) and the outlying areas for 16 activities that carry out the purposes of this subpart; 17 and 18 ‘‘(2) make available in the form of grants to 19 each eligible State an amount equal to the sum of— 20 ‘‘(A) an amount that bears the same rela- 21 tionship to 50 percent of such total amount as 22 the number of children in poverty who reside in 23 the State bears to the number of such children 24 in all States; and 25 VerDate Sep 11 2014 04:32 Oct 02, 2019 Jkt 089200 PO 00000 Frm 00011 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\H4525.IH H4525 kjohnson on DSK79L0C42 with BILLS 12 •HR 4525 IH ‘‘(B) an amount that bears the same rela- 1 tionship to 50 percent of such total amount as 2 the number of children enrolled in public and 3 private nonprofit elementary schools and sec- 4 ondary schools in the State bears to the number 5 of children enrolled in all such schools in all 6 States. 7 ‘‘(c) MINIMUM GRANT.—Notwithstanding subsection 8 (b), no grant under this section shall be for an amount 9 less than $1,000,000. 10 ‘‘(d) REALLOCATION.—The Secretary shall reallocate 11 to States that have received approval under subsection 12 (e)(2) any funds allocated under subsection (b) [Text truncated for display. Full text available on Congress.gov.]