Representative Steve Eliason proposes the following substitute bill:


1     
STUDENT MENTAL HEALTH AMENDMENTS

2     
2024 GENERAL SESSION

3     
STATE OF UTAH

4     
Chief Sponsor: Steve Eliason

5     
Senate Sponsor: Ann Millner

6     

7     LONG TITLE
8     General Description:
9          This bill amends provisions related to the student mental health screening program.
10     Highlighted Provisions:
11          This bill:
12          ▸     amends the student mental health screening program to extend the deadline to allow
13     a local education agency (LEA) to determine whether to be a participating or
14     non-participating LEA;
15          ▸     requires reporting from the State Board of Education regarding the mental health
16     screening program;
17          ▸     provides instructions to the State Board of Education on how to distribute funds to
18     participating LEAs; and
19          ▸     makes technical changes.
20     Money Appropriated in this Bill:
21          None
22     Other Special Clauses:
23          None
24     Utah Code Sections Affected:
25     AMENDS:

26          53F-2-415, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapters 98, 328 and 342
27          53F-2-522, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapters 193, 328
28     

29     Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
30          Section 1. Section 53F-2-415 is amended to read:
31          53F-2-415. Student health and counseling support -- Qualifying personnel --
32     Distribution formula -- Rulemaking.
33          (1) As used in this section:
34          (a) "Behavioral health support personnel" means an individual who:
35          (i) works under the direct supervision of qualifying personnel to:
36          (A) support and track a student's progress and access to and completion of school
37     curriculum; and
38          (B) support students by prompting, redirecting, encouraging, and reinforcing positive
39     behaviors;
40          (ii) is not certified or licensed in mental health; and
41          (iii) meets the professional qualifications as defined by state board rule;
42          (b) "Qualifying personnel" means a school counselor or other counselor, a school
43     psychologist or other psychologist, a school social worker or other social worker, or a school
44     nurse who:
45          (i) is licensed; and
46          (ii) collaborates with educators and a student's parent on:
47          (A) early identification and intervention of the student's academic and mental health
48     needs; and
49          (B) removing barriers to learning and developing skills and behaviors critical for the
50     student's academic achievement.
51          (c) "Telehealth services" means the same as that term is defined in Section 26B-4-704.
52          (2) (a) Subject to legislative appropriations, and in accordance with Subsection (2)(b),
53     the state board shall distribute money appropriated under this section to LEAs to provide
54     targeted school-based mental health support, including clinical services and trauma-informed
55     care, through:
56          (i) employing qualifying personnel;

57          (ii) employing behavioral health support personnel; or
58          (iii) entering into contracts for services provided by qualifying personnel, including
59     telehealth services.
60          (b) (i) The state board shall, after consulting with LEA governing boards, develop a
61     formula to distribute money appropriated under this section to LEAs.
62          (ii) The state board shall ensure that the formula described in Subsection (2)(b)(i)
63     incentivizes an LEA to provide school-based mental health support in collaboration with the
64     local mental health authority of the county in which the LEA is located.
65          (iii) The state board shall provide guidance for LEAs regarding the training,
66     qualifications, roles, and scopes of practice for qualifying personnel and behavioral health
67     support personnel that incorporates parent consent and partnership as key components in
68     addressing the mental health and behavioral health needs of students.
69          (3) To qualify for money under this section, an LEA shall submit to the state board a
70     plan that includes:
71          (a) measurable goals approved by the LEA governing board on improving student
72     safety, student engagement, school climate, or academic achievement;
73          (b) how the LEA intends to meet the goals described in Subsection (3)(a) through the
74     use of the money;
75          (c) how the LEA is meeting the requirements related to parent education described in
76     Section 53G-9-703; and
77          (d) whether the LEA intends to provide school-based mental health support in
78     collaboration with the local mental health authority of the county in which the LEA is located.
79          (4) The state board shall distribute money appropriated under this section to an LEA
80     that qualifies under Subsection (3), based on the formula described in Subsection (2)(b).
81          (5) An LEA may not use money distributed by the state board under this section to
82     supplant federal, state, or local money previously allocated to:
83          (a) employ qualifying personnel;
84          (b) employ behavioral health support personnel; or
85          (c) enter into contracts for services provided by qualified personnel, including
86     telehealth services.
87          (6) In accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative Rulemaking Act, the

88     state board shall make rules that establish:
89          (a) procedures for submitting a plan for and distributing money under this section;
90          (b) the formula the state board will use to distribute money to LEAs described in
91     Subsection (2)(b); and
92          (c) in accordance with Subsection (7), annual reporting requirements for an LEA that
93     receives money under this section.
94          (7) An LEA that receives money under this section shall submit an annual report to the
95     state board, including:
96          (a) progress toward achieving the goals submitted under Subsection (3)(a);
97          (b) if the LEA discontinues a qualifying personnel position or a behavioral health
98     support personnel position, the LEA's reason for discontinuing the positions; and
99          (c) how the LEA, in providing school-based mental health support, complies with the
100     provisions of Section 53E-9-203.
101          (8) Beginning on or before July 1, 2019, the state board shall provide training that
102     instructs school personnel on the impact of childhood trauma on student learning, including
103     information advising educators against practicing medicine, giving a diagnosis, or providing
104     treatment.
105          (9) The state board may use up to:
106          (a) 2% of an appropriation under this section for costs related to the administration of
107     the provisions of this section; and
108          (b) $1,500,000 in nonlapsing balances from fiscal year 2022 for the purposes described
109     in this section to provide scholarships for up to four years to certain LEA employees, as defined
110     by the state board, for education and training to become a school social worker, a school
111     psychologist, or other school-based mental health worker.
112          (10) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, money appropriated under this
113     section may be used, as determined by the state board, for:
114          (a) the SafeUT Crisis Line described in Section 53B-17-1202; [or]
115          (b) (i) youth suicide prevention programs described in Section 53G-9-702; or
116          (ii) a comprehensive prevention plan, as that term is defined in Section 53F-2-525[.];
117     or
118          (c) providing grants to LEAs as provided in Subsection 53F-2-522(5).

119          Section 2. Section 53F-2-522 is amended to read:
120          53F-2-522. Public education mental health screening.
121          (1) As used in this section:
122          (a) "Division" means the Division of Integrated Healthcare within the Department of
123     Health and Human Services.
124          (b) "Non-participating LEA" means an LEA that does not administer an approved
125     mental health screening program described in this section.
126          (c) "Participating LEA" means an LEA that has an approved screening program
127     described in this section.
128          (d) "Participating student" means a student in a participating LEA who participates in a
129     mental health screening program.
130          (e) "Qualifying parent" means a parent:
131          (i) of a participating student who, based on the results of a screening program, would
132     benefit from resources that cannot be provided to the participating student in the school setting;
133     and
134          (ii) who qualifies for financial assistance to pay for the resources under rules made by
135     the state board.
136          (f) "Screening program" means a student mental health screening program selected by
137     a participating LEA and approved by the state board in consultation with the division.
138          (2) (a) On or before July 1, 2023, an LEA governing board shall determine whether the
139     LEA will be a participating LEA or a non-participating LEA for the 2023-24 school year.
140          (b) (i) During the 2023-24 school year, and each year after, a participating LEA may
141     change the LEA's participation status and become a non-participating LEA for the next school
142     year by reporting the status change to the state board [by the end of the current school year] on
143     or before August 1, 2024.
144          (ii) An LEA that changed the LEA's status from participating to non-participating in
145     Subsection (2)(b)(i) is subject to the requirements of a non-participating LEA described in
146     Subsection (2)(c).
147          (c) (i) During the 2023-24 school year, and each year after, a non-participating LEA's
148     governing board shall submit a record of determination to the state board [by the end of the
149     school year] on or before August 1 of each year, which record shall state whether the

150     non-participating LEA will:
151          (A) maintain the LEA's non-participating status; or
152          (B) change the LEA's status to be a participating LEA.
153          (ii) If the non-participating LEA determines the LEA will change participation status
154     and become a participating LEA, the LEA's status of participation will change at the end of the
155     current school year.
156          (d) If an LEA governing board failed to make the determination required in Subsection
157     (2)(a) on or before July 1, 2023, the LEA governing board shall determine whether the LEA
158     will be a participating LEA for the 2024-25 school year and notify the state board of the
159     determination on or before August 1, 2024.
160          (3) The state board shall:
161          (a) make rules in accordance with Title 63G, Chapter 3, Utah Administrative
162     Rulemaking Act, to:
163          (i) establish a process for a participating LEA to submit a selected screening program
164     to the state board for approval;
165          (ii) in accordance with Title 53E, Chapter 9, Student Privacy and Data Protection, and
166     the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. 1232g, establish who may access
167     and use a participating student's screening data;
168          (iii) establish a requirement and a process for appropriate LEA or school personnel to
169     attend annual training related to administering the screening program;
170          (iv) determine whether a parent is eligible to receive the financial support described in
171     Subsection (5)(a) as a qualifying parent; and
172          (v) apply for and distribute the financial support described in Subsection (5)(a);
173          (b) in consultation with the division, approve an evidence-based student mental health
174     screening program selected by a participating LEA that:
175          (i) is age appropriate for each grade in which the screening program is administered;
176          (ii) screens for the mental health conditions determined by the state board and division;
177     and
178          (iii) is an effective tool for identifying whether a student has a mental health condition
179     that requires intervention; and
180          (c) on or before [November 30] August 30 of each year, submit a report on the

181     screening programs to
182          the State Suicide Prevention Coalition created under Subsection 26B-5-611(2) and
183          the Education Interim Committee in accordance with Section 53E-1-201 that contains
184     the following:
185          (i) the approximate number of participating students that were screened in each
186     participating LEA the previous school year;
187          (ii) the approximate number of participating students referred to additional services or
188     for whom intervention was required;
189          [(ii)] (iii) the names and number of:
190          (A) participating LEAs; [and]
191          (B) non-participating LEAs; and
192          (C) LEAs that failed to make and report to the state board the determination to be
193     participating or non-participating LEAs;
194          (iv) information regarding:
195          (A) reasons why an LEA failed to make a determination to be a participating or
196     non-participating LEA; and
197          (B) any LEA that determined to be a participating LEA but failed to implement a
198     mental health screening program;
199          [(iii)] (v) an overview of how participating LEAs utilized distributed funds; and
200          [(iv)] (vi) whether the amount of distributed funds to each participating LEA was
201     sufficient for the participating LEA's needs.
202          (4) A participating LEA shall:
203          (a) in accordance with rules made by the state board under Subsection (3)(a), submit a
204     selected evidence-based screening program to the state board for approval;
205          (b) implement and administer a state board-approved mental health screening program
206     to participating students in the participating LEA by:
207          (i) annually notifying each parent with a student in the participating LEA that the
208     parent may have the student screened for mental health conditions;
209          (ii) obtaining prior written consent from a student's parent, that complies with Section
210     53E-9-203, and the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, 20 U.S.C. Sec. 1232g, before
211     the participating LEA screens a participating student;

212          (iii) screening the student for mental health conditions; and
213          (iv) if results of a participating student's screening indicate a potential mental health
214     condition, notifying the parent of the participating student of:
215          (A) the participating student's results; and
216          (B) resources available to the participating student, including any services that can be
217     provided by the school mental health provider or by a partnering entity;
218          (c) use state board-distributed funds for the purposes described in Subsection (5)(a);
219     and
220          (d) provide the state board with necessary information and data for the state board to
221     complete the report described in Subsection (3)(c).
222          (5) (a) Within appropriations made by the Legislature for this purpose, the state board
223     may distribute funds to a participating LEA to use to:
224          (i) implement and administer a mental health screening for participating students as
225     described in Subsection (4)(b); and
226          (ii) assist a qualifying parent to pay for resources described in Subsection (4)(b)(iv)(B)
227     that cannot be provided by a school mental health professional in the school setting.
228          (b) To distribute funds as described in Subsection (5)(a), the state board shall:
229          (i) distribute 90% of the available funds to participating LEAs based on the previous
230     year's average daily membership count; and
231          (ii) distribute the remaining 10% of the available funds on an as-needed basis to
232     participating LEAs if the LEA has exhausted the funds distributed under Subsection (5)(b)(i)
233     and has additional need.
234          [(b)] (c) The state board may not distribute funds described in Subsection (5)(a) to a
235     non-participating LEA.
236          (6) A school employee trained in accordance with rules made by the state board under
237     Subsection (3)(a)(iii), who administers an approved mental health screening in accordance with
238     this section in good faith, is not liable in a civil action for an act taken or not taken under this
239     section.
240          Section 3. Effective date.
241          This bill takes effect on May 1, 2024.