A4587

An Act concerning the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students in grades kindergarten through 12 in New Jersey.

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

1. a. There is established the Study Commission on the Mental Health Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on K-12 Students in New Jersey.

b. The commission shall consist of 17 members, as follows:

(1) the Commissioner of Education, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

(2) the Commissioner of Health, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

(3) the Commissioner of Children and Families, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

(4) the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

(5) the Director of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

(6) one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, both of whom shall have demonstrated expertise in issues related to the work of the commission;

(7) one public member appointed by the Senate President and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, both of whom shall have demonstrated expertise in issues related to the work of the commission; and

(8) eight public members appointed by the Governor, who shall include: one representative of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association; one representative of the New Jersey School Boards Association; one representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness; one representative of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies; one representative of the New Jersey Association of Counties; one representative of the New Jersey League of Municipalities; one member representing school district leaders; and one school mental health professional who holds a valid educational services certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners, which school mental health professional may be a school counselor, a school social worker, a school psychologist, or another appropriate school mental health professional.

c. Members to the commission shall be appointed within 60 days following the date of enactment of this act. The Commissioner of Education, or the commissioner’s designee, shall serve as the chairperson of the commission. The commission shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members and shall select a vice-chairperson from among its members. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.

d. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenditures incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the commission, subject to available funds.

e. The Department of Education shall provide such administrative and professional assistance as is necessary for the commission to carry out its work. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of the employees of any State agency as it may require and as may be available for its purposes.

2. a. It shall be the duty of the commission to examine issues related to the mental health of K-12 students in this State that were caused or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic; study and survey all mental health resources that are currently available to K-12 schools and students in the State; assess which of, and to what extent, those mental health resources were negatively impacted by the pandemic; and develop recommendations to ensure that students have access to mental health care programs and services in order to allow students to meet their educational goals.

b. The commission shall study the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of K-12 students and the mental health resources available to K-12 schools and students. The commission shall prepare a report of its findings and recommendations that shall include, but not be limited to, the following:

(1) identifying which types of K-12 students, schools, and school districts experienced disproportionate rates of depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder as a result of the pandemic;

(2) identifying mental health treatment services, providers, and other mental health resources available to address the mental health needs of K-12 students in each school, school district, municipality, county, and region of the State;

(3) recommendations concerning the evaluation and expansion of counseling programs and services available to K-12 students experiencing mental health difficulties, as well as other programs designed to address issues related to the mental health of K-12 students;

(4) an analysis of the mental health resources available for K-12 students that were negatively impacted by the pandemic, by school and school district;

(5) the amount of funding that may be necessary for public schools to employ the appropriate staff and to establish new programs or expand existing programs necessary to address the current and future mental health needs of K-12 students; and

(6) any other proposals that the commission determines would provide for increased access to high-quality K-12 student mental health programs.

c. The commission shall consult with parents of general education students, parents of students who receive special education and related services, and teaching staff members when performing the duties required pursuant to the provisions of this section.

d. The commission shall issue a final report to the Governor, and to the Legislature pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than one year after the date the commission first organizes. The report shall contain the findings of the study and the recommendations developed pursuant to this section. The commission shall transmit a copy of its final report to every school district in the State.

3. This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire 30 days after the commission issues its final report.

STATEMENT

This bill establishes a study commission on the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on students in grades kindergarten through 12 in this State. The purpose of the study commission will be to examine issues related to the mental health of K-12 students that were caused or exacerbated by the pandemic; study and survey all mental health resources that are currently available to K-12 schools and students in the State; assess which of, and to what extent, those mental health resources were negatively impacted by the pandemic; and develop recommendations to ensure that K-12 students have access to mental health care programs and services in order to allow students to meet their educational goals.

The commission will consist of 17 members, as follows:

(1) the Commissioner of Education, or a designee, who will serve ex officio;

(2) the Commissioner of Health, or a designee, who will serve ex officio;

(3) the Commissioner of Children and Families, or a designee, who will serve ex officio;

(4) the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, or a designee, who will serve ex officio;

(5) the Director of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of Human Services, or a designee, who will serve ex officio;

(6) one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, both of whom will have demonstrated expertise in issues related to the work of the commission;

(7) one public member appointed by the Senate President and one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, both of whom will have demonstrated expertise in issues related to the work of the commission; and

(8) eight public members appointed by the Governor, who will include: one representative of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, one representative of the New Jersey School Boards Association, one representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one representative of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, one representative of the New Jersey Association of Counties, one representative of the New Jersey League of Municipalities, one member representing school district leaders, and one school mental health professional who holds a valid educational services certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners.

The bill requires the commission to study the impact of the pandemic on the mental health of K-12 students and the mental health resources available to K-12 schools and students. The bill requires the commission to report its findings and recommendations based on that study that will include, but not be limited to, the following:

(4) an analysis of the mental health resources available to K-12 students that were negatively impacted by the pandemic, by school and school district;

(5) the amount of funding that may be necessary for K-12 public schools to employ the appropriate staff and to establish new programs or expand existing programs necessary to address the current and future mental health needs of K-12 students; and

(6) any other proposals that the commission determines would provide for increased access to high-quality mental health programs for K-12 students.

The commission will consult with parents of general education students, parents of students who receive special education and related services, and teaching staff members when performing its duties.

The commission will issue a final report to the Governor and the Legislature no later than one year after the date the commission first organizes. The report will contain the findings of the study and the recommendations developed pursuant to this bill. The commission will also transmit a copy of the report to every school district in the State.