§290bb–39a Best practices for behavioral and mental health intervention teams

Summary

The Secretary of Health and Human Services must write and send a report to Congress that explains best ways schools and colleges can use voluntary behavioral and mental health intervention teams to help students whose behavior gets in the way of learning or who might hurt themselves or others. The report must look at the evidence and explain how teams can work well while protecting people’s privacy and rights; how teams can find and support students and use proven interventions; how teams can get training and include a mix of trained people with child, mental health, and disability knowledge who check each other’s views; and how teams can avoid sending students to unnecessary mental-health care or law enforcement. The Secretary must consult federal education and safety officials, teachers and school leaders, mental-health professionals, parents, local and campus law enforcement, and privacy and civil-rights experts. The final report must be posted in an accessible form on the HHS website. Definitions — Behavioral and mental health intervention team: a trained, multi-person team that finds students with behavioral or mental health needs, connects them to services, and creates evidence-based plans to reduce harm and support safe learning. Elementary school, secondary school, and parent: as defined in 20 U.S.C. 7801. Institution of higher education: as defined in 20 U.S.C. 1002.