Connecting Students with Mental Health Services Act

The Secretary of Education, in coordination with the Secretary of Health and Human Services, shall carry out a program consisting of awarding grants to eligible entities to support the mental and behavioral health of students in elementary schools and secondary schools, especially such students who reside in rural areas or lack access to mental and behavioral health services.

An eligible entity receiving a grant under this section shall use the grant for resources to support the mental and behavioral health of students in elementary schools and secondary schools, which may include—

(1) purchasing or upgrading equipment (which may include physical equipment and technology) to implement a telehealth program that includes mental and behavioral health care;

(2) ensuring sufficient space and personnel to support such a telehealth program in one or more schools; and

(3) hiring, or providing additional compensation for, staff to help administer such a telehealth program.

To seek a grant under this section, an eligible entity shall submit an application to the Secretary of Education at such time, in such manner, and containing such information and assurances as the Secretary may require.

Each such application shall include a plan—

(A) detailing the applicant’s proposed telehealth program that includes mental and behavioral health care, to be supported through the plan; and

(B) providing assurances that any collection, maintenance, or use of student information through such telehealth program will be in accordance with applicable privacy laws.

In awarding grants under this section, the Secretary of Education shall give priority to eligible entities that—

(1) submit an application in accordance with subsection (c); and

(2) serve—

(A) high-poverty elementary schools and secondary schools;

(B) rural elementary schools and secondary schools; or

(C) elementary schools and secondary schools that are located in a health professional shortage area designated under section 332 of the Public Health Service Act (42 U.S.C. 254e).

The Secretary of Education shall establish the program required by subsection (a) not later than 180 days after the date of enactment of this Act.

Funds made available under this section shall be used to supplement and not supplant other Federal, State, and local funds provided for activities funded under this section.

Not later than September 30, 2027, the Secretary of Education and the Secretary of Health and Human Services, acting jointly, shall submit to the Congress and make publicly available a report including—

(1) analysis on the impact of the program under this section (in a manner that does not include information that would reveal personally identifiable information about an individual student)—

(A) on the number of students in elementary schools and secondary schools receiving health care (including behavioral and mental health services) through a telehealth program; and

(B) on the number of such students receiving behavioral and mental health services through a telehealth program; and

(2) recommendations for the reauthorization, expansion, and improvement of the program under this section.

In this section:

(1) The term community health care provider —

(A) subject to subparagraph (B), includes a university health care system; and

(B) excludes any provider that does not accept payment under a State plan (or waiver of such plan) under title XIX of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 1396 et seq.).

(2) The terms educational service agency, elementary school, local educational agency, and secondary school have the meanings given to those terms in section 8101 of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (20 U.S.C. 7801).

(3) The term eligible entity means a partnership between—

(A) a local educational agency or a consortium of any such agencies; and

(B) a community health care provider or an educational service agency.

(4) The term telehealth means the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health, and health administration.

To carry out this section, there is authorized to be appropriated $5,000,000 for each of fiscal years 2026 through 2029.