[Second Reprint]

ASSEMBLY, No. 4435

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

INTRODUCED JULY 23, 2020

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

Assemblyman  LOUIS D. GREENWALD

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

Assemblywoman  SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex)

Assemblywoman  PAMELA R. LAMPITT

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

Senator  JAMES BEACH

District 6 (Burlington and Camden)

Senator  KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex, Morris and Passaic)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblyman Benson, Assemblywoman Murphy, Assemblyman Caputo, Assemblywomen Mosquera, Jasey, Assemblyman Chiaravalloti, Assemblywoman Reynolds-Jackson, Assemblymen Simonsen, McClellan, Assemblywomen Vainieri Huttle, Quijano, McKnight, Timberlake, Downey, Swain, Assemblyman Wimberly, Senators Pou and Turner

SYNOPSIS

     Requires DCF to give priority to certain school districts with student mental health counseling centers in awarding grants under School Based Youth Services Program.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     As reported by the Senate Education Committee on May 13, 2021, with amendments.

An Act prioritizing certain school districts under the School Based Youth Services Program and supplementing chapter 5B of Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.   

Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

     1.    a. In awarding grants under the School Based Youth Services Program, the Office of School-Linked Services within the Division of Family and Community Partnerships of the Department of Children and Families shall give priority to ²new² applicant school districts ²and districts seeking to expand current programs² that ²[operate or host, or demonstrate a plan to operate or host,] include in their application² a center or other entity that focuses on providing individual, family, and group clinical mental health counseling services to students.  The center or other entity shall ¹[be]^{1 2}offer to students services that include, but are not limited to, the following²:

     (1)   ²[¹be¹ separate from, but integrated into, a school within the applicant school district;

     (2)   ¹be¹ open for students to visit clinical mental health professionals during, before, and after school hours] access to mental health counseling services during, before, or after school hours²; and

²[(3)    ¹[staffed by] include¹] (2) access to² clinical mental health ¹[professionals] professional staff¹, who ¹[are] may be¹ school district employees ¹[and] , that¹ provide mental health counseling services to students either in-person or remotely through the use of telehealth or telemedicine services, as applicable.

²The Office of School-Linked Services shall give priority consideration to new applicant school districts and districts seeking to expand current programs that offer the services included in paragraphs (1) and (2) of this subsection immediately upon the effective date of this act.²

     b.    Of the ²new² applicant school districts ²and districts seeking to expand current programs² that ²[operate or host, or demonstrate a plan to operate or host,] include in their application² a center or other entity in accordance with subsection a. of this section, the Office of School-Linked Services shall consider the following factors in ²[determining further priority in] making a determination when² awarding grants under the School Based Youth Services Program:

     (1)   whether the school district is designated as a “high-need” school district, as determined by ²[the] metrics set by the² Commissioner of Children and Families; 

     (2)   the existence of a partnership between the center or other entity and community mental health providers and other community resources;

     (3)   whether the school district has developed a plan for mental health professionals working in its center or other entity to develop curricula to train students and staff on identifying the signs of mental health conditions and addressing risk factors that may impact student mental health; and

     (4)   whether the center or other entity created by the school district has clinical mental health professional staff who specialize in a variety of mental health areas, or demonstrates a plan to retain the services of clinical mental health professionals in a variety of mental health areas.

     2.    This act shall take effect immediately.