Peer to Peer Mental Health Support Act

This bill sets up a pilot program to help middle and high school students support each other’s mental health. The federal health agency, working with the education department, can give competitive grants to states, local governments, U.S. territories, and Tribes to run evidence-based peer support programs in secondary schools . Programs can train students and adult supervisors to spot concerns early, respond safely, support recovery, reduce risks, and build resilience, with oversight by a school-based mental health professional. Student education records must stay protected under federal privacy law .

The agency must study how well the pilot works—tracking participation, what trainings were used, how student outcomes changed, and whether the programs helped connect students to professional care better than other approaches—and report the results to Congress. The program also offers technical help and shares best practices with grantees. The pilot ends on September 30, 2029 .

Key points

• Who is affected: Secondary school students; states, local governments, territories, and Tribes running school programs; school-based mental health professionals .
• What changes: Competitive grants for evidence-based peer support programs; required privacy protections; oversight by school mental health staff; federal evaluation and a public report on what works .
• When: Runs as a time-limited pilot and ends September 30, 2029 .