Sponsors (3)
The bill expands access to evidence-based, peer-delivered mental-health support in secondary schools and provides federal technical assistance and evaluation, but it is a time-limited, state-administered pilot that may impose local costs and administrative hurdles and face evaluation limits due to privacy rules.
Secondary-school students gain expanded access to evidence-based, peer-delivered mental-health support and training supervised by professionals, increasing timely support in schools.
K–12 schools and districts receive federal technical assistance and best-practice resources to design and implement peer-support programs, easing program adoption and quality control.
The program requires evaluation of effectiveness and links to professional care, producing evidence that can inform future policy and program expansion.
School districts may need to absorb administrative and training costs (including any required local match), creating financial strain for local governments and schools implementing the program.
The program is a time-limited pilot with a statutory sunset (9/30/2029), risking discontinuity and uncertainty for students and schools if it is not reauthorized or funded long-term.
Grants are awarded only to States, political subdivisions, territories, and Tribal entities rather than directly to individual schools or nonprofits, which can add administrative layers and slow or complicate local access to funds.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Creates a competitive federal pilot to fund evidence-based peer mental-health support in secondary schools with evaluation, FERPA protections, technical assistance, and a 2029 sunset.
Introduced September 15, 2025 by Donald Sternoff Beyer · Last progress September 15, 2025
Creates a federal competitive pilot program to fund evidence-based peer mental-health support activities for students in secondary schools. Eligible applicants (states, political subdivisions, territories, and Indian Tribes/Tribal organizations) can use award funds to implement and operate peer support programs and training, provided activities are overseen by a school-based mental health professional and student records remain protected under FERPA. The program requires applicants to include evaluation plans; the Assistant Secretary for Mental Health and Substance Use must evaluate outcomes and report results to Congress. The program ends on September 30, 2029.