Elementary and Secondary School Counseling Act
This bill directs the Department of Education to award grants to state educational agencies to support school-based, mental-health-services providers at public elementary and secondary schools.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 4381 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 4381
To effectively staff the public elementary schools and secondary
schools of the United States with school-based mental health services
providers.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
September 18, 2019
Ms. Clark of Massachusetts introduced the following bill; which was
referred to the Committee on Education and Labor
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
To effectively staff the public elementary schools and secondary
schools of the United States with school-based mental health services
providers.
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 ``Elementary and Secondary School
Counseling Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS.
Congress finds the following:
(1) One in 5 children ages 13 through 18 have, or will
have, a serious mental illness.
(2) Eleven percent of youth have a mood disorder, 10
percent of youth have a behavior or conduct disorder, and 8
percent of youth have an anxiety disorder.
(3) Fifty percent of all lifetime cases of mental illness
begin by age 14. Thirty-seven percent of students with a mental
health condition age 14 and older drop out of school, which is
the highest school dropout rate of any disability group.
(4) Seventy percent of youth in State and local juvenile
systems have a mental illness.
(5) Youth with access to mental health services in school-
based health centers are 10 times more likely to seek care for
mental health or substance abuse than youth without access.
(6) The leading counseling, guidance, and mental health
organizations, including the American School Counselor
Association, the National Association of School Psychologists,
the National Association of Social Workers, and the School
Social Work Association of America, recommend that schools
maintain--
(A) a maximum student to school counselor ratio of
250 to 1;
(B) a maximum student to school psychologist ratio
of 500-700 to 1; and
(C) a maximum student to school social worker ratio
of 250 to 1.
SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.
In this Act:
(1) ESEA definitions.--The terms ``elementary school'',
``local educational agency'', ``secondary school'', ``State'',
and ``State educational agency'' have the meanings given the
terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education
Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).
(2) School-based mental health services provider.--The term
``school-based mental health services provider'' has the
meaning given the term in section 4102 of the Elementary and
Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7112).
(3) Secretary.--The term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary
of Education.
SEC. 4. GRANTS.
(a) Program Authorized.--
(1) In general.--From the amounts made available under
section 5 for a fiscal year, the Secretary shall award grants,
in amounts determined under subsection (b), to State
educational agencies to enable the State educational agencies
to award subgrants to local educational agencies in order to
provide school-based mental health services providers at public
elementary schools and secondary schools served by the local
educational agencies.
(2) Duration.--A grant awarded under this section shall be
for a 5-year period and may be renewed for additional 5-year
periods upon a showing of adequate progress, as determined by
the Secretary.
(b) Amounts of Grants.--
(1) Base amount allotment.--
(A) Base amount.--The Secretary shall use
$2,000,000,000 of the amounts made available under
section 5 for a fiscal year to provide a base grant for
such fiscal year to each State educational agency that
submits a complete application, on a proportional basis
based on the number of elementary school and secondary
school students in each State, subject to subparagraph
(C).
(B) Ratable reduction.--If the amounts made
available under section 5 are less than $2,000,000,000,
the Secretary shall ratably reduce the amount provided
under subparagraph (A) to each State, subject to
subparagraph (C).
(C) Mandatory minimum.--No State shall receive less
than $1,000,000 under subparagraph (A) for a fiscal
year.
(2) Need-based additional funding.--
(A) In general.--In any fiscal year for which the
funds made available under section 5 are greater than
$2,000,000,000, the Secretary shall use such additional
funds to provide, on a competitive basis, additional
amounts for the grants provided under this section to
State educational agencies that agree to meet the
matching requirement under subparagraph (B).
(B) Matching requirements.--In order to receive
additional funding under this paragraph, a State
educational agency shall agree to provide matching
funds, in an amount equal to not less than one-half of
the additional amount provided under subparagraph (A),
toward the costs of the activities carried out under
this grant.
(C) Award basis.--The Secretary shall award the
additional amounts under subparagraph (A) based on the
need for school-based mental health services providers
in the public elementary schools and secondary schools
in the State and the Secretary's assessment of the
ratios included in each application under subsection
(c)(3).
(3) Amount limitation.--In no case shall the total amount
awarded under this subsection exceed the amount needed to meet
the recommended maximum student-to-provider ratios described in
subsection (d)(1)(B) in all public elementary schools and
secondary schools in the State.
(c) Application.--A State educational agency desiring a grant under
this section shall submit an application at such time, in such manner,
and containing such information as the Secretary may require. Each
application shall include--
(1) a description of how the State educational agency will
award subgrants to local educational agencies under subsection
(d) consistent with the consideration described in subsection
(b)(2)(C);
(2) a description of how the State educational agency will
disseminate, in a timely manner, information regarding the
subgrants and the application process for such subgrants to
eligible local educational agencies; and
(3) the ratios, as of the date of application, of students
to school-based mental health services providers in each public
elementary school and secondary school in the State, in the
aggregate and disaggregated to include--
(A) the ratios of students to school counselors,
school psychologists, and school social workers; and
(B) as applicable, the ratios of students to other
school-based mental health services providers not
described in subparagraph (A), in the aggregate and
disaggregated by type of provider.
(d) Subgrants.--
(1) In general.--A State educational agency receiving a
grant under this section shall use grant funds to award
subgrants, on a competitive basis, to local educational
agencies in the State, to enable the local educational agencies
to--
(A) employ a school-based mental health services
provider at each public elementary school and secondary
school served by the local educational agency; and
(B) work toward effectively staffing the public
elementary schools and secondary schools of the State
with school-based mental health services providers,
including by meeting the recommended maximum ratios
of--
(i) 250 students per school counselor;
(ii) 500 to 700 students per school
psychologist; and
(iii) 250 students per school social
worker.
(2) Application.--A local educational agency desiring a
subgrant under this subsection shall submit an application to
the State educational agency at such time, in such manner, and
containing such information as the State educational agency may
require.
(e) Grant and Subgrant Requirements.--
(1) Supplement, not supplant.--Amounts provided under a
grant or subgrant under this section shall supplement, and not
supplant, any other funds available to a State educational
agency or local educational agency for school-based mental
health services.
(2) Combining funds allowed.--A State educational agency
receiving a grant under this section may combine funds made
available under this section with State or local funds to carry
out the activities described in subsection (d)(1).
(f) Report.--
(1) In general.--A State educational agency receiving a
grant under this section shall annually prepare and submit a
report to the Secretary that--
(A) evaluates the progress made in achieving the
purposes of the grant;
(B) includes the most recent student to provider
ratios, in the aggregate and disaggregated as provided
in subsection (c)(3), for public elementary schools and
secondary schools in the State that were assisted under
the grant under this section; and
(C) describes any other resources needed to meet
the required recommended maximum student to school-
based mental health services provider ratios.
(2) Public availability.--The Secretary shall make all
reports submitted under paragraph (1) available to the public,
including through the website of the Department.
SEC. 5. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.
In order to provide school-based mental health services providers
in public elementary schools and secondary schools in the States, there
are authorized to be appropriated to carry out this section--
(1) $5,000,000,000 for fiscal year 2020; and
(2) such sums as may be necessary for each succeeding
fiscal year.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Labor.
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