Sponsors (3)
The bill provides targeted federal support to expand evidence-based peer mental health programs in secondary schools and build an evidence base, but it reaches only selected sites, may be hard to implement where mental health staff are scarce, and requires federal spending without ensuring permanence.
Students in participating secondary schools gain access to evidence-based peer mental health support programs, improving early identification of mental health concerns and recovery supports.
Schools and districts that receive awards get federal funding and technical assistance to start and run peer support programs and training, lowering the financial and capacity barriers to offering these services.
Parents and students retain protections for education records through FERPA for information collected under the program, helping preserve student privacy and confidentiality.
Many students will not benefit because the program is limited to competitively funded pilots, so access to peer support services will be uneven and not universal.
Districts with shortages of school-based mental health professionals may struggle to meet the requirement that activities be overseen by such staff, reducing the program's implementability in underserved areas.
Taxpayers bear the cost of funding the pilot through federal appropriations, with funding limited to the pilot period and no guarantee of continuation after the program sunsets.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Introduced March 6, 2025 by John Wright Hickenlooper · Last progress March 6, 2025
Authorizes a competitive pilot program to fund evidence-based peer mental health support activities for students in secondary schools. Eligible states, territories, tribes, and local jurisdictions may apply for awards to implement peer-support programs, train students and adult supervisors, and evaluate student mental health outcomes under school-based professional oversight and FERPA protections; the program must be evaluated and the results reported to Congress and sunsets on September 30, 2029.