(a) As of October 1, 2012, there is established within the Department, and shall be made available to all child development facilities, public schools, and public charter schools, a program that, at a minimum, provides participants with the tools needed to:
(1) Identify students who may have unmet behavioral health needs;
(2) Refer identified students to appropriate services for behavioral health screenings and behavioral health assessments; and
(3) Recognize the warning signs and risk factors for youth suicide and implement best practices for suicide prevention, suicide intervention, and suicide postvention.
(1) Starting October 1, 2016, completion of the program shall be mandatory once every 2 years for all:
(A) Teachers in public schools and public charter schools;
(B) Principals in public schools and public charter schools; and
(C) Staff employed by child development facilities, who are subject to training or continuing education requirements pursuant to licensing regulations.
(2) In addition to the individuals described in paragraph (1) of this subsection, the Mayor may determine through rulemaking other individuals who shall be required to complete the program.
(3) The Department may make the program available to other interested individuals.
(c) The Department shall keep a record of all participants who complete the program and shall provide the participants with written proof of completion.
(d) If so approved by the Office of the State Superintendent for Education, the program may count towards professional development credits.
(e) For the purposes of this section, the term:
(1) "Suicide intervention" means specific actions schools can take in response to student suicidal behavior, including:
(A) Student supervision;
(B) Notification of parents or guardians;
(C) Crisis-response protocols;
(D) When and how to request an immediate mental health assessment or emergency services; and
(E) School re-entry procedures following a student mental health crisis.
(2) "Suicide postvention" means planned support and interventions schools can implement after a suicide attempt or suicide death of a member of the school community that are designed to:
(A) Reduce the risk of suicide contagion;
(B) Provide support for affected students and school-based personnel;
(C) Address the social stigma associated with suicide; and
(D) Disseminate factual information about suicide.
(3) "Suicide prevention" means specific actions schools can take to recognize and reduce suicidal behavior, including:
(A) Identifying risk and protective factors for suicide and suicide warning signs;
(B) Establishing a process by which students are referred to a behavioral health provider for help;
(C) Making available school-based and community-based mental health supports;
(D) Providing the location of available online and community suicide prevention resources, including local crisis centers and hotlines; and
(E) Adopting policies and protocols regarding suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention, school safety, and crisis response.
(1) In Fiscal Year 2026, the Department shall, pursuant to part B of subchapter XII-A of Chapter 3 of Title 1 , award grants to community-based organizations for the operation of the program at not less than $120,000 per school-based clinician; provided, that the total amount of grants awarded under this subsection shall be not less than $16,320,000; provided further, that the Department shall prioritize applicants who previously provided school-based behavioral health services in School Years 2023-2024 or 2024-2025.
(2) The Department shall not:
(A) Require that any portion of the grant be restricted to supervision expenses;
(B) Prohibit the use of any portion of the grant materials for general or specialized therapy for children;
(C) Condition the disbursement of grant funds on a minimum total billing requirement under the program that exceeds $15,000; or
(D) Decrease the grant amount based on reported insurance claims billed or paid for services provided as part of the program.
(3) A grantee shall report to the Department on activities, services provided, and individuals served in a manner and form to be prescribed by the Department; provided, that the report shall include the salary information for each clinician and supervisor funded by the program, including the employee's salary from the previous 2 school years.
(g) By October 15, 2025, the Department shall submit to the Council and the Mayor a comprehensive plan outlining the Department's strategy for strengthening and improving the program, which shall include:
(1) An overview of the strategic vision for the program, including a description of how the program will align with a public health approach to prevention, early intervention, and treatment in public and public charter schools;
(2) A summary of findings from an environmental scan of behavioral health resources in public and public charter schools, and an explanation of how this data will inform school assignments, staffing models, and risk-based resource allocation;
(3) A billing and funding sustainability strategy, including an assessment of the current program funding model, proposed changes to the community-based organization clinician subsidy structure, and specific actions the Department will take to identify and remove barriers to Medicaid and private-insurance billing, support provider compliance, and promote the long-term financial sustainability of school-based services;
(4) A detailed evaluation of all pilot programs implemented by the Department in Fiscal Years 2023, 2024, and 2025, including analysis of outcomes, challenges, and lessons learned to inform future program design;
(5) A workforce development strategy, including a plan to address supervision needs, clinician licensure levels, recruitment and retention challenges, the incorporation of non-licensed staff, professional development opportunities for Department and community-based organization clinicians, and an evaluation of the current staffing model, including the Department clinicians compared to clinicians employed through grant-funded partnerships with community-based organizations;
(6) An integration framework for behavioral-health and school-health services, developed in consultation with the Department of Health, to support collaboration between school-based behavioral-health clinicians and public-school and public-charter-school nurses;
(7) A review of performance metrics, curriculum standards, and quality assurance protocols for clinicians assigned to public and public charter schools, with proposed updates to strengthen accountability and service delivery outcomes;
(8) An assessment of the need for, and feasibility of, a common electronic health record platform or data-sharing interface between the Department and its contracted providers to support documentation, billing, and care coordination;
(9) A summary of input received from Department clinicians and community-based organization employed clinicians, including feedback on service-delivery challenges and recommendations for program improvement;
(10) A proposed structure and function for the program's advisory council, including any changes to membership, scope, and meeting frequency to ensure the advisory council can effectively support implementation and accountability;
(11) A plan for how the Department will support the creation and maintenance of a comprehensive inventory of behavioral health resources in public and public charter schools, pursuant to § 7-731.02 , and subchapter I of Chapter 8A of Title 38 , by partnering with school behavioral health coordinators to identify resource gaps and guide resource allocation and development; and
(12) A timeline and implementation plan, including short- and long-term actions, milestones, responsible parties, and any budgetary or legislative changes needed to support improvements to the program.