NEWS: Federal H.R. 2531 Mental Health in the Schools Act of 2009 introduced

Story from the Bazelon Center, with links added.

See the previous post on this bill and The Judge David L. Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, aka, the Bazelon Center

Mental Health in the Schools Act

Representative Grace Napolitano (D-CA) and Tim Murphy (R-PA) [on May 20, 2009] re-introduced the Mental Health in the Schools Act of 2009 (H.R. 2531) to expand school-based mental health services for children in K-12. The two co-chairs of the Congressional Mental Health Caucus, in their “Dear Colleague” letter on the bill, highlighted how the bill would expand essential services.
It:

• Revises, increases funding for, and expands the scope of the Safe Schools-Healthy Students program to provide access to more comprehensive school-based mental health services and supports;
• Authorizes competitive grants to local school districts to assist them in implementing effective mental health programs for students (K-12), administered by state licensed or certified mental health professionals
• Provides for comprehensive, culturally and linguistically appropriate, staff development for school and community service personnel working in the school to identify and support students in need of immediate mental health care and those at-risk for behavioral mental health disorders, allowing teachers to concentrate on teaching;
• Promotes positive mental health education and support for parents, siblings, and other family members of children with mental health disorders, as well as concerned members of the community;
• Requires schools to thoroughly document measures of outcome and demonstrate the actions they are taking to continue sustaining the program independently of grant funds.

Most recently, on May 7, Reps. Napolitano and Murphy shared remarks on the bill, alongside actress Goldie Hawn, at a legislative briefing on school mental health services sponsored by the Bazelon Center, NAMI, Mental Health America and the National Federation of Families for Children’s Mental Health (see http://www.bazelon. org/issues/ children/ positive_ behavioral_ support.htm).
The bill has been referred to the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
For more information visit: http://www.bazelon.org

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