Ask your representatives to push for this bill. Their inaction costs lives.
“One in five youth in the United States experience mental illness, and 70 percent of adolescents with mental health problems do not receive care. Over the last two decades, suicide rates have doubled among Americans between the ages of 10 and 14.
THE PROBLEM. School staff can play an important role in helping to identify and support children with mental health problems. But in a time of tight state budgets for education, too often support services like school counselors end up on the chopping block. While the American School Counselor Association recommends employing one school counselor for every 250 students, in the 2010-2011 school year, the national average was only one counselor for every 471 students.
THE MENTAL HEALTH IN SCHOOLS ACT. This legislation will expand access to mental health services in schools. It will establish a grant program to support schools that work with community-based organizations to expand access to mental health services for students. The grant program will also provide assistance to schools to train staff, volunteers, families, and other members of the community to recognize the signs of behavioral health problems in students and refer them for appropriate services. Under the legislation, SAMHSA will develop standardized quality measures and participating schools are required to collect and submit data on their programs and outcomes. The legislation authorizes $200 million in grant funding per year over five years, and eligible schools may apply for up to $1 million per grant year, based on the size of their student population.”
