(a)On or before December 15, 2023, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Team in the Office of the Governor, shall file a report with the Governor and the General Assembly that includes recommendations for implementation of mental health screenings in schools for students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12. This report must include a landscape scan of current district-wide screenings, recommendations for screening tools, training for staff, and linkage and referral for identified students.
(b)On or before October 1, 2024, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Team in the Office of the Governor, and relevant stakeholders as needed shall release a strategy that i
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(a) On or before December 15, 2023, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Team in the Office of the Governor, shall file a report with the Governor and the General Assembly that includes recommendations for implementation of mental health screenings in schools for students enrolled in kindergarten through grade 12. This report must include a landscape scan of current district-wide screenings, recommendations for screening tools, training for staff, and linkage and referral for identified students. (b) On or before October 1, 2024, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Team in the Office of the Governor, and relevant stakeholders as needed shall release a strategy that includes a tool for measuring capacity and readiness to implement universal mental health screening of students. The strategy shall build upon existing efforts to understand district needs for resources, technology, training, and infrastructure supports. The strategy shall include a framework for supporting districts in a phased approach to implement universal mental health screenings. The State Board of Education shall issue a report to the Governor and the General Assembly on school district readiness and plan for phased approach to universal mental health screening of students on or before April 1, 2025. (c) On or before September 1, 2026, the State Board of Education, in consultation with the Children's Behavioral Health Transformation Team in the Office of the Governor and relevant stakeholders, shall report its work and make available resource materials, including model procedures and guidance informed by a phased approach to implementing universal mental health screening in schools. These model school district procedures to facilitate the implementation of mental health screenings shall include, but are not limited to, the option to opt-out, confidentiality and privacy considerations, communication with families and communities about the use of mental health screenings, data sharing, and storage of mental health screening results and plans for follow-up and linkage to resources after screenings. Guidance shall include (1) mental health screening tools available for school districts to use with students and (2) associated training for school personnel. The State Board of Education shall make these resource materials available on its website. (d) Mental health screenings shall be offered by school districts to students enrolled in grade 3 through grade 12, at least once a year, beginning with the 2027-2028 school year. A district may, by action of the State Board of Education, apply for an extension of the 2027-2028 school year implementation deadline if the school district meets criteria set by rule by the State Board of Education, which shall be based on the recommendations of the report issued in accordance with subsection (c). Notwithstanding the provisions of this subsection, the requirement to offer mental health screenings shall be in effect only for school years in which the State has successfully procured a screening tool that offers a self-report option for students and is made available to school districts at no cost.