Sec. 655. Pilot program for routine mental health check-ups in schools operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity
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Beginning in the first academic year to begin after the date of the enactment of this Act, the Secretary of Defense shall establish and implement a pilot program (referred to in this section as the Pilot ) to provide routine metal health check-ups for students in covered DODEA schools. The Secretary shall carry out the Pilot in not fewer than five covered DODEA schools, one of which shall be located outside the United States. Under the Pilot, the Secretary shall— subject to subsection (e), ensure that students at covered DODEA schools receive routine mental health check-ups, which may include the use of mental health screening tools, such as the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 or the Patient Health Questionnaire-9; ensure that such mental health check-ups— consist of biannual or semesterly mental and behavioral health screenings for disorders common in children aged 3-17, including— an initial virtual screening test for all students; and a follow-up screening carried out by a school psychologist or school nurse for students with specific needs identified through the initial screening; and include questions about a student’s mood and emotional state; train licensed mental and behavioral health professionals to conduct mental health check-ups, including training in— recognizing the signs and symptoms of mental illnesses; and safely de-escalating crises involving individuals with a mental illness; establish a streamlined diagnosis-to-treatment process, including a comprehensive process through which a student with needs identified through a mental health check-up— may be referred to certified community behavioral health clinic in the community in which the school is located; and may receive additional care or treatment through comprehensive school-based services; mobilize school nurses and counselors to facilitate screening in collaboration with administrators and teachers; conduct awareness-building educational efforts in conjunction with the screening process; implement a robust school-based and telehealth support system (including options for individual or group therapy) for students seeking support after diagnosis; and make resources available to the communities surrounding schools for individuals with a mental illness through a coordinated referral process with local community-based health clinics and school-based mental health clinics if such school-based mental health clinics are available and have the capacity and expertise to handle complex mental health situations.
For purposes of the comprehensive referral process described in subsection (c)(4), the Secretary of Defense shall seek to enter into memoranda of understanding or other agreements with Federally-funded community behavioral health clinics in communities in which covered DODEA schools are located pursuant to which a school may refer students to such a clinic. The requirement to establish such a referral process may not be satisfied solely by providing a list of nearby community behavioral health clinics to parents of students at covered DODEA schools.
In a case in which the Secretary of Defense is unable to meet the requirements of paragraph
(1)because there is no Federally-funded community behavioral health clinic in a community in which a covered DODEA school is located, the Secretary of Defense shall develop and make available a comprehensive guide to the mental health resources that are available to students and parents in that community. In carrying out the Pilot, the Secretary shall ensure that a parent or guardian of a student at a covered DODEA school— is provided with— notice that a student may receive a mental health check-up under the Pilot; an opportunity to opt the student out of any such mental health check-up before it is administered; and a copy of the results of each mental health check-up for such student; and gives informed consent before— the referral of a student to a community-based health clinic as described in subsection (b)(4)(A); or the disclosure of any information concerning such student to such a clinic. Not later than 180 days after commencing the Pilot, and not less frequently than every 180 days thereafter until termination of the Pilot, the Secretary of Defense shall conduct an evaluation of the Pilot, which shall include evaluation of— Pilot processes; and student outcomes under the Pilot. The Pilot shall terminate after two academic years. Not later than one year after termination of the Pilot, the Secretary of Defense shall submit to the Committees on Armed Services of the Senate and the House of Representatives a report on the Pilot. The report shall include— the results of the evaluations conducted under subsection (f); the recommendation of the Secretary whether to make the Pilot permanent; and such other information as the Secretary determines appropriate. In this section: The term certified community behavioral health clinic means a certified community behavioral health clinic as such term is used in section 223 of the Protecting Access to Medicare Act of 2014 ( 42 U.S.C. 1396a note). The term covered DODEA school means an elementary school or secondary school— operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity within or outside the United States; and selected by the Secretary to participate in the Pilot. The terms elementary school and secondary school have the meanings given those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 ( 20 U.S.C. 7801 ).
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Sec. 655
Pilot program for routine mental health check-ups in schools operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity
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