| |
| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to providing mental health services and mental health |
|
|
education to public school students at school-based health centers. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. Section 38.051(a), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(a) A school district in this state may, if the district |
|
|
identifies the need, design a model in accordance with this |
|
|
subchapter for the delivery of cooperative health care programs for |
|
|
students and their families and may compete for grants awarded |
|
|
under this subchapter. The model may provide for the delivery of: |
|
|
(1) conventional health services; |
|
|
(2) mental health services; and |
|
|
(3) disease prevention of emerging health threats that |
|
|
are specific to the district. |
|
|
SECTION 2. Section 38.058, Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
Sec. 38.058. HEALTH EDUCATION AND HEALTH CARE ADVISORY |
|
|
COUNCIL. (a) The board of trustees of a school district or the |
|
|
governing body of an open-enrollment charter school may establish |
|
|
and appoint members to a local health education and health care |
|
|
advisory council to make recommendations to the district or school |
|
|
on the establishment of school-based health centers to provide |
|
|
health care services, including mental health services, and to |
|
|
assist the district or school in ensuring that local community |
|
|
values are reflected in the operation of each center and in the |
|
|
provision of health education and mental health education. |
|
|
(b) A majority of the members of the council must be parents |
|
|
of students enrolled in the school district or open-enrollment |
|
|
charter school. In addition to the appointees who are parents of |
|
|
students, the board of trustees or governing body shall also |
|
|
appoint at least one person from each of the following groups: |
|
|
(1) classroom teachers; |
|
|
(2) school administrators; |
|
|
(3) school counselors; |
|
|
(4) health care professionals licensed or certified to |
|
|
practice in this state; |
|
|
(5) mental health care professionals licensed to |
|
|
practice in this state; |
|
|
(6) the clergy; |
|
|
(7) [(6)] law enforcement; |
|
|
(8) [(7)] the business community; |
|
|
(9) [(8)] senior citizens; and |
|
|
(10) [(9)] students. |
|
|
SECTION 3. Section 38.063(c), Education Code, is amended to |
|
|
read as follows: |
|
|
(c) All health care programs should be designed to meet the |
|
|
following goals: |
|
|
(1) reducing student absenteeism; |
|
|
(2) increasing a student's ability to meet the |
|
|
student's academic potential; and |
|
|
(3) stabilizing the physical and mental well-being of |
|
|
a student. |
|
|
SECTION 4. The board of trustees of a school district or the |
|
|
governing body of an open-enrollment charter school that has |
|
|
established a local health education and health care advisory |
|
|
council under Section 38.058, Education Code, shall appoint to the |
|
|
council a mental health professional licensed in this state, as |
|
|
required by the change in law made by this Act, as soon as |
|
|
practicable and not later than January 1, 2024. |
|
|
SECTION 5. This Act takes effect immediately if it receives |
|
|
a vote of two-thirds of all the members elected to each house, as |
|
|
provided by Section 39, Article III, Texas Constitution. If this |
|
|
Act does not receive the vote necessary for immediate effect, this |
|
|
Act takes effect September 1, 2023. |