Kaine Introduces Bill to Improve Educators’ Access to Mental Health Resources

WASHINGTON, D.C. - U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, introduced the Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act, legislation that would increase educators and school staff's access to mental health resources. Teachers and other education staff are more likely than other adults to report symptoms of depression, yet educational institutions often lack specific resources to address these challenges; this has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to massive disruption to public education and has had lingering effects on staffing, working conditions, and student behavior. This bill's introduction coincides with Teacher Appreciation Week and Mental Health Awareness Month.

"Teachers and other school staff shape our children's lives, but too often lack adequate access to mental health resources - leading to tragically high rates of burnout and departure from the education workforce," said Kaine. "As our country marks Teacher Appreciation Week and Mental Health Awareness Month, I'm glad to have introduced this legislation to make it easier for education professionals to access mental health resources, make those resources more effective, and decrease stigma."

Specifically, the Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act would:

• Require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to identify and disseminate best practices for improving mental health among education professionals,
• Require the establishment of a national initiative to increase education professionals' awareness of mental health resources and encourage use of these existing resources,
• Provide funding to establish additional resources and improve existing resources that promote mental health among the education workforce, and
• Mandate reports to Congress that describe the progress this legislation has made toward addressing the prevalence and severity of mental health conditions and substance use disorders among education professionals and other school staff.

The legislation is cosponsored by U.S. Senators Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Angus King (I-ME), and Ron Wyden (D-OR). A companion bill was introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives by Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR-01).

The Supporting the Mental Health of Educators and Staff Act has been endorsed by the American Federation of Teachers, the American Psychological Association, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the National Association of Elementary School Principals, the National Association of Secondary School Principals, the National Council on Teacher Quality, Teach for America, EdTrust, and the School Based Health Alliance of Virginia.

Full text of the legislation can be found here.

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