‘‘SEC. 581. SCHOOL-BASED MENTAL HEALTH AND CHIL-
DREN AND VIOLENCE. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—The Secretary, in collaboration 
with the Secretary of Education and in consultation with 
the Attorney General, shall, directly or through grants, 
contracts, or cooperative agreements awarded to eligible 
entities, apply a public health approach to mental health 
services both in schools and in the community. Such ap-
proach should provide comprehensive services and sup-
ports, be linguistically and culturally appropriate, and in-
corporate strategies of positive behavioral interventions 
and supports. A comprehensive school mental health pro-
gram funded under this section shall assist children in 
dealing with violence. 
‘‘(b) ACTIVITIES.—Under the program under sub-
section (a), the Secretary may— 
‘‘(1) provide financial support to enable local 
communities to implement a comprehensive cul-
turally and linguistically appropriate school mental 
health program that incorporates positive behavioral 
interventions and supports to foster the health and 
development of children; 
‘‘(2) provide technical assistance to local com-
munities with respect to the development of pro-
grams described in paragraph (1); 
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‘‘(3) provide assistance to local communities in 
the development of policies to address child and ado-
lescent mental health issues and violence when and 
if it occurs; 
‘‘(4) facilitate community partnerships among 
families, students, law enforcement agencies, edu-
cation systems, mental health and substance abuse 
service systems, family-based mental health service 
systems, welfare agencies, health care service sys-
tems, and other community-based systems; and 
‘‘(5) establish mechanisms for children and ado-
lescents to report incidents of violence or plans by 
other children or adolescents to commit violence. 
‘‘(c) REQUIREMENTS.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—To be eligible for a grant, 
contract, or cooperative agreement under subsection 
(a), an entity shall be a consortium that— 
‘‘(A) includes at least one local educational 
agency; 
‘‘(B) may include a community program, 
an agency that is involved in mental health, or 
a school; and 
‘‘(C) may consist of a consortium in which 
the members select an agent (such as a local 
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educational agency or community health care 
entity) to act on behalf of the consortium. 
‘‘(2) APPLICATION.—To seek a grant, contract, 
or cooperative agreement under subsection (a), an 
entity shall submit an application that— 
‘‘(A) is endorsed by all members of the 
consortium described in paragraph (1); and 
‘‘(B) makes the assurances described in 
paragraph (3). 
‘‘(3) REQUIRED ASSURANCES.—An application 
under paragraph (2) shall assure the following: 
‘‘(A) That the applicant will ensure that, 
in carrying out activities under this section, the 
local educational agency involved will enter into 
a memorandum of understanding— 
‘‘(i) with, at a minimum, public or 
private mental health entities, health care 
entities, law enforcement or juvenile justice 
entities, child welfare agencies, family- 
based mental health entities, families and 
family organizations, and other commu-
nity-based entities; 
‘‘(ii) with, at the option of the appli-
cant, media entities that may communicate 
mental health information; and 
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‘‘(iii) that clearly states— 
‘‘(I) the responsibilities of each 
consortium member with respect to 
the activities to be carried out; 
‘‘(II) how each such member will 
be accountable for carrying out such 
responsibilities; and 
‘‘(III) the amount of non-Federal 
funding or in-kind contributions that 
each such member will contribute in 
order to sustain the program. 
‘‘(B) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section supports the flexible use of funds to ad-
dress— 
‘‘(i) the promotion of the social, emo-
tional, and behavioral health of all students 
in an environment that is conducive to 
learning; 
‘‘(ii) the reduction in the likelihood of 
at risk students developing social, emo-
tional, or behavioral health problems; 
‘‘(iii) the treatment or referral for 
treatment of students with existing social, 
emotional, or behavioral health problems; 
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‘‘(iv) the early identification of social, 
emotional, or behavioral problems and the 
provision of early intervention services; and 
‘‘(v) the development and implementa-
tion of programs to assist children in deal-
ing with violence. 
‘‘(C) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will include comprehensive staff develop-
ment for school and community service per-
sonnel working in the school in— 
‘‘(i) the techniques and supports need-
ed to identify early children with, or at risk 
of, mental illness; 
‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 
that effectively link such children to treat-
ment and intervention services in the 
school and in the community; 
‘‘(iii) strategies that promote a school- 
wide positive environment; 
‘‘(iv) school system organization, oper-
ations, and functioning; and 
‘‘(v) models for school-based collabo-
ration, coordination, and consultation. 
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‘‘(D) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will include comprehensive training for 
children with mental health disorders, for par-
ents, siblings, and other family members of 
such children, and for concerned members of 
the community in— 
‘‘(i) the techniques and supports need-
ed to identify early children with, or at risk 
of, mental illness; 
‘‘(ii) the use of referral mechanisms 
that effectively link such children to treat-
ment and intervention services in the 
school and in the community; and 
‘‘(iii) strategies that promote a school- 
wide positive environment. 
‘‘(E) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will demonstrate the measures to be 
taken to sustain the program after funding 
under this section terminates. 
‘‘(F) That the consortium involved is sup-
ported by the State educational and mental 
health system to ensure that the sustainability 
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‘zero tolerance’ with respect to drugs, alcohol, 
or weapons. 
‘‘(L) That the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will include the provision of immediate 
services to students and staff through school- 
employed mental health professionals, the link-
age of services to the learning context and out-
comes, support for implementation of a positive 
behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) 
model, and oversight and evaluation of the serv-
ices of community consortium members within 
the school environment. 
‘‘(M) That the mental health services pro-
vided through the comprehensive school-based 
mental health program carried out under this 
section will be provided by qualified mental 
health professionals who are certified or li-
censed by the State involved and practicing 
within their area of expertise. 
‘‘(d) GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION.—The Secretary 
shall ensure that grants, contracts, or cooperative agree-
ments under subsection (a) will be distributed equitably 
among the regions of the country and among urban and 
rural areas. 
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‘‘(e) DURATION
OF AWARDS.—With respect to a 
grant, contract, or cooperative agreement under sub-
section (a), the period during which payments under such 
an award will be made to the recipient shall be 5 years. 
An entity may receive only one award under this section, 
except that an entity that is providing services and sup-
ports on a regional basis may receive additional funding 
after the expiration of the preceding grant period. 
‘‘(f) EVALUATION AND MEASURES OF OUTCOMES.— 
‘‘(1) DEVELOPMENT
OF
PROCESS.—The Ad-
ministrator shall develop a process for evaluating ac-
tivities carried out under this section. Such process 
shall include— 
‘‘(A) the development of guidelines for the 
submission of program data by grant, contract, 
or cooperative agreement recipients; 
‘‘(B) the development of measures of out-
comes (in accordance with paragraph (2)) to be 
applied by such recipients in evaluating pro-
grams carried out under this section; and 
‘‘(C) the submission of annual reports by 
such recipients concerning the effectiveness of 
programs carried out under this section. 
‘‘(2) MEASURES OF OUTCOMES.— 
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‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—The Administrator 
shall develop measures of outcomes to be ap-
plied by recipients of assistance under this sec-
tion, and the Administrator, in evaluating the 
effectiveness of programs carried out under this 
section. Such measures shall include student 
and family measures as provided for in sub-
paragraph (B) and local educational measures 
as provided for under subparagraph (C). 
‘‘(B) STUDENT AND FAMILY MEASURES OF 
OUTCOMES.—The measures of outcomes devel-
oped under paragraph (1)(B) relating to stu-
dents and families shall, with respect to activi-
ties carried out under a program under this 
section, at a minimum include provisions to 
evaluate— 
‘‘(i) whether the program resulted in 
an increase in social and emotional com-
petency; 
‘‘(ii) whether the program resulted in 
an increase in academic competency; 
‘‘(iii) whether the program resulted in 
a reduction in disruptive and aggressive 
behaviors; 
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‘‘(iv) whether the program resulted in 
improved family functioning; 
‘‘(v) whether the program resulted in 
a reduction in substance abuse; 
‘‘(vi) whether the program resulted in 
a reduction in suspensions, truancy, expul-
sions and violence; 
‘‘(vii) whether the program resulted in 
increased graduation rates; and 
‘‘(viii) whether the program resulted 
in improved access to care for mental 
health disorders. 
‘‘(C) LOCAL EDUCATIONAL OUTCOMES.— 
The outcome measures developed under para-
graph (1)(B) relating to local educational sys-
tems shall, with respect to activities carried out 
under a program under this section, at a min-
imum include provisions to evaluate— 
‘‘(i) the effectiveness of comprehensive 
school mental health programs established 
under this section; 
‘‘(ii) the effectiveness of formal con-
sortium linkages among child and family 
serving institutions, community support 
systems, and the educational system; 
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‘‘(iii) the progress made in sustaining 
the program once funding under the grant 
has expired; 
‘‘(iv) the effectiveness of training and 
professional development programs for all 
school personnel that incorporate indica-
tors that measure cultural and linguistic 
competencies under the program in a man-
ner that incorporates appropriate cultural 
and linguistic training; and 
‘‘(v) the improvement in perception of 
a safe and supportive learning environment 
among school staff, students, and parents; 
‘‘(vi) the improvement of social, emo-
tional, and behavioral competencies among 
students and mental health competencies 
among school staff and parents; 
‘‘(vii) the improvement in case-finding 
of students in need of more intensive serv-
ices and referral of identified students to 
early intervention and clinical services; 
‘‘(viii) the improvement in the imme-
diate availability of clinical assessment and 
treatment services to students posing a 
danger to themselves or others; 
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‘‘(ix) the increased successful matricu-
lation to postsecondary school; and 
‘‘(x) reduced referrals to juvenile jus-
tice 
‘‘(3) SUBMISSION OF ANNUAL DATA.—An entity 
that receives a grant, contract, or cooperative agree-
ment under this section shall annually submit to the 
Administrator a report that includes data to evalu-
ate the success of the program carried out by the en-
tity based on whether such program is achieving the 
purposes of the program. Such reports shall utilize 
the measures of outcomes under paragraph (2) in a 
reasonable manner to demonstrate the progress of 
the program in achieving such purposes. 
‘‘(4) EVALUATION BY ADMINISTRATOR.—Based 
on the data submitted under paragraph (3), the Ad-
ministrator shall annually submit to Congress a re-
port concerning the results and effectiveness of the 
programs carried out with assistance received under 
this section. 
‘‘(g) INFORMATION
AND
EDUCATION.—The Sec-
retary shall establish comprehensive information and edu-
cation programs to disseminate the findings of the knowl-
edge development and application under this section to the 
general public and to health care professionals. 
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