Kaine, Colleagues Introduce Bipartisan Bill To Improve Schools’ Access To Mental Health Grants

WASHINGTON, D.C. - This week, National School Psychology Week, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine (D-VA), a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee, joined a bipartisan group of his colleagues introducing the Creating Access and Resources in Education (CARE) for Student Mental Health Act to increase the number of school-based mental health services and providers by helping schools apply for federal grants funded in part by the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act.

"We can and must do more to support young people in our communities who are experiencing anxiety, depression, and other mental health challenges, and boosting school-based mental health services is an important way we can do that," said Senator Kaine. "I'm proud to introduce this bipartisan legislation to help recruit, hire, and retain the professionals we need to provide these critical services."

One in five children has a diagnosable mental or behavioral health disorder, and approximately 40 percent of students will experience symptoms of depression or anxiety by the seventh grade. Despite this growing crisis, a majority of school districts have limited or no access to school-based mental health providers such as psychologists, counselors, and social workers.

Championed by Senator Kaine, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act was signed into law in June of 2022, making historic investments in school-based mental health and supportive services, including $1 billion for the Mental Health Service Professional Demonstration Grant Program and School-Based Mental Health Services Program to hire more school psychologists, counselors, social workers, and other mental health services providers. However, less than 3 percent of eligible entities have applied for these grants, oftentimes because they do not have the administrative bandwidth to do so or the awareness that these grants are available.

The CARE for Student Mental Health Act would help bridge the gap between schools in need and available mental health resources by:

• Clarifying the distinction, purpose, and allowable activities of each grant to help eligible entities quickly determine which grant best meets their needs;
• Requiring the U.S. Department of Education to improve notification and technical assistance for potential grantees to enable more school districts with limited administrative capacity to apply and compete for these federal grants;
• Authorizing and streamlining the Strengthening the Pipeline of School-Based Mental Health Services Providers Program, which supports partnerships between colleges, universities, and school districts to increase the number of properly trained school-based mental health service professionals;
• And authorizing the School-Based Mental Health Services Program that assists high-need school districts to recruit, hire, and retain school-based mental health personnel for students to remain healthy, engaged, and safe at school.

In addition to Kaine, the legislation was introduced by U.S. Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), and Thom Tillis (R-NC), and is endorsed by the National Association of School Psychologists.

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