Expanding Student Access to Mental Health Services Act

The Expanding Student Access to Mental Health Services Act would modify how schools can spend certain federal education grants. Currently, Student Support and Academic Enrichment grants have limited uses. This bill would expand those grants to cover mental health services, allowing schools to identify and share best practices for mental health first aid training, develop emergency planning procedures, coordinate mental health services across providers, and offer telehealth mental health services to students.

If enacted, this bill could help schools better address student mental health needs by providing federal funding specifically designated for these purposes. Schools would have flexibility in how they implement these services, whether through training staff in mental health first aid, setting up telehealth platforms for remote counseling, or improving coordination between school and community mental health resources. The bill is currently in committee and has not yet been voted on by the full House.