Full Text of HB1320 102nd General Assembly
HB1320ham001 102ND GENERAL ASSEMBLY | Rep. Lindsey LaPointe Filed: 4/4/2022
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| 1 | | AMENDMENT TO HOUSE BILL 1320
| 2 | | AMENDMENT NO. ______. Amend House Bill 1320 by replacing | 3 | | everything after the enacting clause with the following:
| 4 | | "Section 1. Short title. This Act may be cited as the | 5 | | Wellness Checks in Schools Program Act. | 6 | | Section 5. Findings. The General Assembly finds that: | 7 | | (1) Depression is the most common mental health | 8 | | disorder among American teens and adults, with over | 9 | | 2,800,000 young people between the ages of 12 and 17 | 10 | | experiencing at least one major depressive episode each | 11 | | year, approximately 10-15% of teenagers exhibiting at | 12 | | least one symptom of depression at any time, and roughly | 13 | | 5% of teenagers suffering from major depression at any | 14 | | time. Teenage depression is 2 to 3 times more common in | 15 | | females than in males. | 16 | | (2) Various biological, psychological, and |
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| 1 | | environmental risk factors may contribute to teenage | 2 | | depression, which can lead to substance and alcohol abuse, | 3 | | social isolation, poor academic and workplace performance, | 4 | | unnecessary risk taking, early pregnancy, and suicide, | 5 | | which is the second leading cause of death among | 6 | | teenagers. Approximately 20% of teens with depression | 7 | | seriously consider suicide, and one in 12 attempt suicide. | 8 | | Untreated teenage depression can also result in adverse | 9 | | consequences throughout adulthood. | 10 | | (3) Most teens who experience depression suffer from | 11 | | more than one episode. It is estimated that, although | 12 | | teenage depression is highly treatable through | 13 | | combinations of therapy, individual and group counseling, | 14 | | and certain medications, fewer than one-third of teenagers | 15 | | experiencing depression seek help or treatment. | 16 | | (4) The proper detection and diagnosis of mental | 17 | | health conditions, including depression, is a key element | 18 | | in reducing the risk of teenage suicide and improving | 19 | | physical and mental health outcomes for young people. It | 20 | | is therefore fitting and appropriate to establish | 21 | | school-based mental health screenings to help identify the | 22 | | symptoms of mental health conditions and facilitate access | 23 | | to appropriate treatment. | 24 | | Section 10. Wellness Checks in Schools Grant Program. | 25 | | (a) Subject to appropriation, the Department of Healthcare |
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| 1 | | and Family Services shall administer a grant program to | 2 | | provide funding and resources for school districts and | 3 | | nonpublic schools to implement wellness checks to identify | 4 | | students in grades 7 through 12 who are at risk of mental | 5 | | health conditions, including depression or other mental health | 6 | | issues. A school district or nonpublic school that receives an | 7 | | award under the grant program shall make available to each | 8 | | student in grades 7 through 12 an annual wellness check. | 9 | | (b) The wellness check shall include the use of a | 10 | | research-based screening tool validated to screen for mental | 11 | | health conditions in adolescents and shall be conducted by a | 12 | | mental health professional or through a partnership with an | 13 | | organization or health care provider. Nothing in this Act | 14 | | prohibits a school district or nonpublic school from using a | 15 | | self-administered screening tool as part of the wellness | 16 | | check. To assist school districts and nonpublic schools in | 17 | | selecting a research-based screening tool to use in their | 18 | | wellness check programs, the Department of Healthcare and | 19 | | Family Services may develop a list of preapproved | 20 | | research-based screening tools that are validated to screen | 21 | | adolescents for mental health concerns and are appropriate for | 22 | | use in a school setting. The list shall be posted on the | 23 | | websites of the Department of Healthcare and Family Services | 24 | | and the State Board of Education. | 25 | | (c) Wellness checks shall be conducted in a manner that: | 26 | | (1) permits real-time evaluation of the results and |
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| 1 | | same-day intervention by a mental health professional if | 2 | | necessary; | 3 | | (2) accommodates bilingual education students, | 4 | | students with disabilities, and students with low reading | 5 | | proficiency; | 6 | | (3) ensures the privacy of the student during the | 7 | | process and the confidentiality of the results consistent | 8 | | with State and federal laws applicable to the | 9 | | confidentiality of student records and mental health | 10 | | records; and | 11 | | (4) requires written consent from a student's parent | 12 | | or guardian prior to any wellness check and a method for | 13 | | providing a parent or guardian with information if | 14 | | same-day intervention or other services are recommended. | 15 | | (d) A school district or nonpublic school shall collect | 16 | | and report aggregated data that shall not contain any | 17 | | identifying or confidential information about any individual | 18 | | to the Department in a manner prescribed by the Department. | 19 | | (e) A school district or nonpublic school seeking to | 20 | | receive funding under the grant program shall submit an | 21 | | application to the Department, in accordance with application | 22 | | procedures and requirements prescribed by the Department. An | 23 | | application shall include, at a minimum: | 24 | | (1) a description of the tool to be used during | 25 | | wellness checks, an explanation of the individuals or the | 26 | | entity or entities that will administer the wellness |
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| 1 | | checks, and how the wellness checks will be conducted; | 2 | | (2) an explanation of how the school district or | 3 | | nonpublic school intends to make its wellness check | 4 | | program available to each student in grades 7 through 12, | 5 | | the total number of students that will be offered wellness | 6 | | checks, and a description of how the school district or | 7 | | nonpublic school will notify students and parents or | 8 | | guardians about its wellness check program and how the | 9 | | school district or nonpublic school will obtain written | 10 | | consent from a student's parent or guardian prior to | 11 | | administering a wellness check; | 12 | | (3) a dollar amount request and justification for | 13 | | funding sought by the school district or nonpublic school | 14 | | under the grant program; and | 15 | | (4) a description of how the grant funding will be | 16 | | used to further the purposes of the school district's or | 17 | | nonpublic school's wellness check program, including | 18 | | covering costs for current personnel, hiring additional | 19 | | personnel, purchasing materials, or contracting with | 20 | | outside entities. | 21 | | (f) Awards under the grant program shall be allocated to | 22 | | school districts and nonpublic schools that submit | 23 | | applications in a manner prescribed by the Department. | 24 | | (g) Nothing in this Act shall be construed to affect a | 25 | | school district's or nonpublic school's ability to provide | 26 | | additional or supplemental services to students or impact any |
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| 1 | | other grant received by the school district or nonpublic | 2 | | school for providing social or mental health services. A | 3 | | school district or nonpublic school may seek to secure funds | 4 | | or other resources from the federal government or from private | 5 | | nonprofit or for-profit sources as may be available, to | 6 | | supplement funds received under the grant program. | 7 | | (h) The Department shall submit a report to the General | 8 | | Assembly and the Office of the Governor that analyzes the | 9 | | grant program, including, but not limited to: | 10 | | (1) the costs of the wellness check programs to each | 11 | | school district and nonpublic school awarded a grant; | 12 | | (2) the aggregate number of students administered | 13 | | wellness checks; | 14 | | (3) the aggregate number of students identified as | 15 | | being at risk of depression; | 16 | | (4) the aggregate number of students who were provided | 17 | | same-day mental health services; | 18 | | (5) the aggregate number of students who were | 19 | | identified as needing follow-up services; and | 20 | | (6) the number of school districts and nonpublic | 21 | | schools that utilized current staff members, the number of | 22 | | school districts and nonpublic schools that hired other | 23 | | personnel, the number of school districts and nonpublic | 24 | | schools that contracted with another entity, and an | 25 | | average of the time school districts and nonpublic schools | 26 | | spent administering wellness checks per student. |
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| 1 | | (i) The Department may adopt rules to implement this Act.
| 2 | | Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon | 3 | | becoming law.".
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