Mental Health in Schools Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to make changes to the program to apply a public health approach to mental health services, including by revising eligibility requirements for a grant, contract, or cooperative agreement. Makes only a consortium that includes at least one educational agency eligible for such funding. Allows such a consortium to: (1) include a community program, an agency that is involved in mental health, or a school; and (2) consist of a consortium in which the members select an agent (such as a local educational agency or community health care entity) to act on the consortium's behalf.
Sets forth assurances required for eligibility, including assurances that: (1) the local education agency will enter into a memorandum of understanding with relevant community-based entities that clearly states the responsibilities of each consortium member; (2) the program will include comprehensive staff development for school and community service personnel working in the school and training for children with mental health disorders, for family members of such children, and for concerned members of the community; and (3) the program will demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the program after funding terminates.
Requires the Administrator of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to develop a process for evaluating grant program activities, including: (1) the development of guidelines for the submission of program data by recipients; and (2) the development of measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients in evaluating programs, to include student and family measures and local educational measures.
[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 3430 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 3430
To amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend projects
relating to children and violence to provide access to school-based
comprehensive mental health programs.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
August 3, 2007
Mrs. Napolitano (for herself, Mr. Baca, Mr. Becerra, Ms. Berkley, Mr.
Berman, Ms. Bordallo, Ms. Corrine Brown of Florida, Mrs. Capps, Mr.
Cardoza, Ms. Carson, Mr. Cohen, Mr. Conyers, Mr. Crowley, Mr. Cuellar,
Mr. Davis of Illinois, Mr. Lincoln Davis of Tennessee, Mrs. Davis of
California, Mr. Ellison, Mr. Engel, Mr. Farr, Mr. Filner, Mr. Gene
Green of Texas, Mr. Grijalva, Mr. Gutierrez, Mr. Hastings of Florida,
Mr. Hinojosa, Mr. Honda, Ms. Hooley, Mr. Israel, Ms. Jackson-Lee of
Texas, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, Mr. Jefferson, Mrs. Jones of Ohio, Mr.
Kagen, Ms. Kaptur, Mr. Kennedy, Mr. Lewis of Georgia, Mrs. Lowey, Mrs.
Maloney of New York, Ms. Matsui, Mr. McNulty, Mr. Michaud, Mr.
Mitchell, Mr. Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania, Mr. Murtha, Mr. Nadler, Mr.
Ortiz, Mr. Perlmutter, Mr. Reyes, Mr. Rodriguez, Ms. Roybal-Allard, Ms.
Linda T. Sanchez of California, Ms. Schakowsky, Mr. Serrano, Mr. Sires,
Ms. Solis, Mr. Stark, Ms. Watson, Ms. Waters, Mr. Waxman, Mr. Weiner,
Ms. Kilpatrick, Mr. Gilchrest, Ms. Moore of Wisconsin, and Ms. Eddie
Bernice Johnson of Texas) introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To amend the Public Health Service Act to revise and extend projects
relating to children and violence to provide access to school-based
comprehensive mental health programs.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Mental Health in Schools Act of
2007''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Approximately 1 in 5 children have a diagnosable mental
disorder.
(2) Approximately 1 in 10 children have a serious emotional
or behavioral disorder that is severe enough to cause
substantial impairment in functioning at home, at school, or in
the community. It is estimated that about 75 percent of
children with emotional and behavioral disorders do not receive
specialty mental health services.
(3) Only half of schools across the United States report
having formal partnerships with community mental health
providers to deliver mental health services.
(4) If a school is going to respond to the mental health
needs of its students, it must have access to resources that
provide family-centered, culturally and linguistically
appropriate supports and services.
(5) Effective school mental health programs reflect the
collaboration and commitment of families, students, educators,
and other community partners.
(6) Many schools have school-employed mental health
providers supporting student's social, emotional, and
behavioral health needs in schools. The most common types of
staff providing mental health services in schools were school
counselors, followed by school nurses, school psychologists and
school social workers. Three-quarters of schools had at least
one school counselor on staff, over two-thirds had a school
psychologist or school nurse, and 44 percent had a school
social worker.
(7) Although it is well recognized that mental health
directly affects children's learning and development, in a
recent study one-third of school districts reported decreased
funding for school mental health services, and at the same time
two-thirds of school districts reported increased need for such
services.
SEC. 3. PURPOSES.
It is the purpose of this Act to--
(1) revise, increase funding for, and expand the scope of
the Safe Schools-Healthy Students program in order to provide
access to more comprehensive school-based mental health
services and supports;
(2) provide for comprehensive staff development for school
and community service personnel working in the school; and
(3) provide for comprehensive training for children with
mental health disorders, for parents, siblings, and other
family members of such children, and for concerned members of
the community.
SEC. 4. AMENDMENTS TO THE PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE ACT.
(a) Technical Amendments.--The second part G (relating to services
provided through religious organizations) of title V of the Public
Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290kk et seq.) is amended--
(1) by redesignating such part as part J; and
(2) by redesignating sections 581 through 584 as sections
596 through 596C, respectively.
(b) School-Based Mental Health and Children and Violence.--Section
581 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh) is amended to
read as follows:
``SEC. 581. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND CHILDREN AND VIOLENCE.
``(a) In General.--The Secretary, in collaboration with the
Secretary of Education and in consultation with the Attorney General,
shall, directly or through grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements
awarded to eligible entities, apply a public health approach to mental
health services both in schools and in the community. Such approach
should provide comprehensive services and supports, be linguistically
and culturally appropriate, and incorporate strategies of positive
behavioral interventions and supports. A comprehensive school mental
health program funded under this section shall assist children in
dealing with violence.
``(b) Activities.--Under the program under subsection (a), the
Secretary may--
``(1) provide financial support to enable local communities
to implement a comprehensive culturally and linguistically
appropriate school mental health program that incorporates
positive behavioral interventions and supports to foster the
health and development of children;
``(2) provide technical assistance to local communities
with respect to the development of programs described in
paragraph (1);
``(3) provide assistance to local communities in the
development of policies to address child and adolescent mental
health issues and violence when and if it occurs;
``(4) facilitate community partnerships among families,
students, law enforcement agencies, education systems, mental
health and substance abuse service systems, family-based mental
health service systems, welfare agencies, health care service
systems, and other community-based systems; and
``(5) establish mechanisms for children and adolescents to
report incidents of violence or plans by other children or
adolescents to commit violence.
``(c) Requirements.--
``(1) In general.--To be eligible for a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall be
a consortium that--
``(A) includes at least one local educational
agency;
``(B) may include a community program, an agency
that is involved in mental health, or a school; and
``(C) may consist of a consortium in which the
members select an agent (such as a local educational
agency or community health care entity) to act on
behalf of the consortium.
``(2) Application.--To seek a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an entity shall
submit an application that--
``(A) is endorsed by all members of the consortium
described in paragraph (1); and
``(B) makes the assurances described in paragraph
(3).
``(3) Required assurances.--An application under paragraph
(2) shall assure the following:
``(A) That the applicant will ensure that, in
carrying out activities under this section, the local
educational agency involved will enter into a
memorandum of understanding--
``(i) with, at a minimum, public or private
mental health entities, health care entities,
law enforcement or juvenile justice entities,
child welfare agencies, family-based mental
health entities, families and family
organizations, and other community-based
entities;
``(ii) with, at the option of the
applicant, media entities that may communicate
mental health information; and
``(iii) that clearly states--
``(I) the responsibilities of each
consortium member with respect to the
activities to be carried out;
``(II) how each such member will be
accountable for carrying out such
responsibilities; and
``(III) the amount of non-Federal
funding or in-kind contributions that
each such member will contribute in
order to sustain the program.
``(B) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section supports
the flexible use of funds to address--
``(i) the promotion of the social,
emotional, and behavioral health of all
students in an environment that is conducive to
learning;
``(ii) the reduction in the likelihood of
at risk students developing social, emotional,
or behavioral health problems;
``(iii) the treatment or referral for
treatment of students with existing social,
emotional, or behavioral health problems;
``(iv) the early identification of social,
emotional, or behavioral problems and the
provision of early intervention services; and
``(v) the development and implementation of
programs to assist children in dealing with
violence.
``(C) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will
include comprehensive staff development for school and
community service personnel working in the school in--
``(i) the techniques and supports needed to
identify early children with, or at risk of,
mental illness;
``(ii) the use of referral mechanisms that
effectively link such children to treatment and
intervention services in the school and in the
community;
``(iii) strategies that promote a school-
wide positive environment;
``(iv) school system organization,
operations, and functioning; and
``(v) models for school-based
collaboration, coordination, and consultation.
``(D) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will
include comprehensive training for children with mental
health disorders, for parents, siblings, and other
family members of such children, and for concerned
members of the community in--
``(i) the techniques and supports needed to
identify early children with, or at risk of,
mental illness;
``(ii) the use of referral mechanisms that
effectively link such children to treatment and
intervention services in the school and in the
community; and
``(iii) strategies that promote a school-
wide positive environment.
``(E) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will
demonstrate the measures to be taken to sustain the
program after funding under this section terminates.
``(F) That the consortium involved is supported by
the State educational and mental health system to
ensure that the sustainability of the programs is
established after funding under this section
terminates.
``(G) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will be
based on evidence-based practices.
``(H) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will be
coordinated with early intervening activities carried
out under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act.
``(I) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will be
culturally and linguistically appropriate.
``(J) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will
include a range of program sites, which may include
elementary schools, secondary schools, and related
facilities and transportation sites.
``(K) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will
include a broad needs assessment of youth who drop out
of school due to policies of `zero tolerance' with
respect to drugs, alcohol, or weapons.
``(L) That the comprehensive school-based mental
health program carried out under this section will
include the provision of immediate services to students
and staff through school-employed mental health
professionals, the linkage of services to the learning
context and outcomes, support for implementation of a
positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS)
model, and oversight and evaluation of the services of
community consortium members within the school
environment.
``(M) That the mental health services provided
through the comprehensive school-based mental health
program carried out under this section will be provided
by qualified mental health professionals who are
certified or licensed by the State involved and
practicing within their area of expertise.
``(d) Geographical Distribution.--The Secretary shall ensure that
grants, contracts, or cooperative agreements under subsection (a) will
be distributed equitably among the regions of the country and among
urban and rural areas.
``(e) Duration of Awards.--With respect to a grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement under subsection (a), the period during which
payments under such an award will be made to the recipient shall be 5
years. An entity may receive only one award under this section, except
that an entity that is providing services and supports on a regional
basis may receive additional funding after the expiration of the
preceding grant period.
``(f) Evaluation and Measures of Outcomes.--
``(1) Development of process.--The Administrator shall
develop a process for evaluating activities carried out under
this section. Such process shall include--
``(A) the development of guidelines for the
submission of program data by grant, contract, or
cooperative agreement recipients;
``(B) the development of measures of outcomes (in
accordance with paragraph (2)) to be applied by such
recipients in evaluating programs carried out under
this section; and
``(C) the submission of annual reports by such
recipients concerning the effectiveness of programs
carried out under this section.
``(2) Measures of outcomes.--
``(A) In general.--The Administrator shall develop
measures of outcomes to be applied by recipients of
assistance under this section, and the Administrator,
in evaluating the effectiveness of programs carried out
under this section. Such measures shall include student
and family measures as provided for in subparagraph (B)
and local educational measures as provided for under
subparagraph (C).
``(B) Student and family measures of outcomes.--The
measures of outcomes developed under paragraph (1)(B)
relating to students and families shall, with respect
to activities carried out under a program under this
section, at a minimum include provisions to evaluate--
``(i) whether the program resulted in an
increase in social and emotional competency;
``(ii) whether the program resulted in an
increase in academic competency;
``(iii) whether the program resulted in a
reduction in disruptive and aggressive
behaviors;
``(iv) whether the program resulted in
improved family functioning;
``(v) whether the program resulted in a
reduction in substance abuse;
``(vi) whether the program resulted in a
reduction in suspensions, truancy, expulsions
and violence;
``(vii) whether the program resulted in
increased graduation rates; and
``(viii) whether the program resulted in
improved access to care for mental health
disorders.
``(C) Local educational outcomes.--The outcome
measures developed under paragraph (1)(B) relating to
local educational systems shall, with respect to
activities carried out under a program under this
section, at a minimum include provisions to evaluate--
``(i) the effectiveness of comprehensive
school mental health programs established under
this section;
``(ii) the effectiveness of formal
consortium linkages among child and family
serving institutions, community support
systems, and the educational system;
``(iii) the progress made in sustaining the
program once funding under the grant has
expired;
``(iv) the effectiveness of training and
professional development programs for all
school personnel that incorporate indicators
that measure cultural and linguistic
competencies under the program in a manner that
incorporates appropriate cultural and
linguistic training; and
``(v) the improvement in perception of a
safe and supportive learning environment among
school staff, students, and parents;
``(vi) the improvement of social,
emotional, and behavioral competencies among
students and mental health competencies among
school staff and parents;
``(vii) the improvement in case-finding of
students in need of more intensive services and
referral of identified students to early
intervention and clinical services;
``(viii) the improvement in the immediate
availability of clinical assessment and
treatment services to students posing a danger
to themselves or others;
``(ix) the increased successful
matriculation to postsecondary school; and
``(x) reduced referrals to juvenile justice
``(3) Submission of annual data.--An entity that receives a
grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under this section
shall annually submit to the Administrator a report that
includes data to evaluate the success of the program carried
out by the entity based on whether such program is achieving
the purposes of the program. Such reports shall utilize the
measures of outcomes under paragraph (2) in a reasonable manner
to demonstrate the progress of the program in achieving such
purposes.
``(4) Evaluation by administrator.--Based on the data
submitted under paragraph (3), the Administrator shall annually
submit to Congress a report concerning the results and
effectiveness of the programs carried out with assistance
received under this section.
``(g) Information and Education.--The Secretary shall establish
comprehensive information and education programs to disseminate the
findings of the knowledge development and application under this
section to the general public and to health care professionals.
``(h) Amount of Grants and Authorization of Appropriations.--
``(1) Amount of grants.--A grant under this section shall
be in an amount that is not more than $1,000,000 for each of
grant years 2008 through 2012. The Secretary shall determine
the amount of each such grant based on the population of
children between the ages of 0 to 21 of the area to be served
under the grant.
``(2) Authorization of appropriations.--There is authorized
to be appropriated to carry out this section, $200,000,000 for
each of fiscal years 2008 through 2012.''.
(c) Conforming Amendment.--Part G of title V of the Public Health
Service Act (42 U.S.C. 290hh et seq.), as amended by this section, is
further amended by striking the part heading and inserting the
following:
``PART VII--SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR H9662)
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Health.
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