Add School Mental Health Coordinators

2 Co-sponsors

• Daphne Jordan
• Susan Serino

Title of bill

An act to amend the education law, in relation to creating a school mental health services program coordinator

Purpose

This bill would establish a Mental Health Services Coordinator Program under the education law and establish a mental health services program coordinator education aid program to reimburse school districts outside the city of New York, $50,000 for the hiring of such a mental health services professional.

Summary of provisions

More specifically, this bill would add a new section 2801-c to the education law to:

-Define the term Mental Health Services Program Coordinator to include a mental health services professional, with qualifications determined by regulation by the commissioner of education.

-Authorize school districts to hire mental health services program coor- dinators, or contract for their services with mental health services providers.

-Define the role and responsibility of a mental health services program coordinator as working with students, faculty and other mental health and health care professionals to identify, report and address mental health issues of students, faculty and administration, at any public or non-public school, that could pose a risk to public safety.

-Authorize the state department of education by regulation, to determine the qualifications for a mental health services program coordinator, and establish the mandatory reports, the persons or entities with whom such reports shall be filed, and the treatment services that may be offered or directed by a mental health services program coordinator.

This bill would further amend sections 3641 of the education law, to establish a mental health services program coordinator grant program, in order to reimburse school districts outside the city of New York, for the hiring of mental health services professionals.

This bill would lastly amend section 211 of the retirement and social security law, to make the position of mental health services program coordinator a factor in the granting of a "211 waiver" allowing a reti- ree to earn over the earnings limitation threshold amounts prescribed in law.

Justification

Recent school attacks across the nation have demonstrated an important need to increase security at schools. In many of these tragedies, it has been demonstrated that the failure to properly identify and address mental illness of the attacker has led, at least in part, to the failure to prevent the attack. Therefore, one of the best possible preventive and responsive measures is the deployment of mental health services to identify, report and address individuals who they, in their clinical and professional judgment could pose a threat to public safety and security.

This bill would provide a specific definition of Mental Health Services Program Coordinator, requiring such persons to be experienced mental health services professional, with the qualifications determined by regulations established by the state department of education. it further provides, for the first time, an important state aid component, which will allow all schools across the state, to have the necessary funds to retain the services of such invaluable mental health services professions who could seriously enhance public protection.

Fiscal implications

This bill will establish a new state education grant program, the cost of which will depend upon the number of mental health services program coordinators hired. This program would establish a grant formula, providing $50,000 for every district that hires a single mental health services professional, or a multiple of $20,000 for multiple hires.

Legislative history

S7805 of 2018 (Croci): Passed Senate

Effective date

This act would take effect immediately.