Mentions early intervention in multiple locations in the guidebook

A Guide to K-12 Student Behavioral Health Supports with a Focus on Prevention, Early Intervention, and Intervention for Students’ Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Health Needs

(1) The general assembly hereby finds and declares that:

• (a) Colorado ranks fortieth in the nation in the school nurse-to-student ratio;

• (b) The federal center for disease control's healthy people 2020 recommended one school nurse for every seven hundred fifty general education students, but many school nurses in Colorado are responsible for as many as six thousand students, making it difficult to provide the social-emotional support necessary to students and staff;

• (c) In 2011, prior to the legalization of retail marijuana, almost forty percent of students surveyed reported having tried marijuana one or more times, with nine percent reporting that they had tried marijuana before age thirteen;

• (d) In addition, twenty-two percent of students reported using marijuana one or more times in the last thirty days, with six percent reporting that they had used marijuana on school property one or more times;

• (e) The legalization of retail marijuana is anticipated to increase the availability of marijuana to underage youth;

• (f) Marijuana use by minors can have immediate and lasting health implications, and many youth who engage in substance abuse develop or have underlying behavioral health needs;

• (g) School health professionals have already started to experience the results of marijuana as a newly legalized substance in increased visits to the health office and referrals from school staff; and

• (h) School health professionals are in a unique position to educate, assess, and treat youth who have substance abuse or behavioral health issues.

(2) The general assembly further finds and declares that a program to provide matching grants to education providers to enhance the presence of school health professionals in schools throughout the state will facilitate better screening, education, and referral care coordination for students with substance abuse and other behavioral health needs.

(1) (a) There is created in the department the behavioral health care professional matching grant program, referred to in this article 96 as the "program", to provide funding to education providers for the following purposes:

• (I) To increase the presence of school health professionals in schools to provide behavioral health care to students who have mental health, substance use or misuse, or other behavioral health needs;

• (II) To provide training and resources for school staff on the implementation of evidence-based programming on behavioral health education for all students;

• (III) To allow school health professionals to connect students with services that are provided by community-based organizations for treatment and counseling for students who need behavioral health care; and

• (IV) To provide behavioral health care services at recipient schools, including but not limited to screenings, counseling, therapy, referrals to community organizations, and training for students and staff on behavioral health issues.

• (b) An education provider that receives a grant under the program shall use the money to increase the level of funding the education provider allocates to school health professionals to provide behavioral health care to students prior to receiving the grant and not to replace other funding sources allocated to provide school health professionals for students. The education provider may use the money to contract with a community partner for behavioral health care services, including hiring private health care professionals, training, screening, and preventive supports. Additionally, the education provider may use the money to provide direct services or consultation by a school health professional through telehealth technology. The department shall administer the program as provided in this article 96 and pursuant to rules adopted by the state board.

(2) The state board shall adopt rules pursuant to the "State Administrative Procedure Act", article 4 of title 24, C.R.S., for implementation of the program, including but not limited to rules regarding:

• (a) The timeline for submitting applications to the department;

• (b) The form of the grant application and any information in addition to that specified in section 22-96-104 (2) to be included in the application;

• (c) Any criteria for awarding grants in addition to those specified in section 22-96-104 (3); and

• (d) Any information to be included in the department's program report in addition to that required in section 22-96-105.

(1) An education provider that seeks a grant from the program shall submit an application to the department in accordance with the rules adopted by the state board. The department shall review each application received from an education provider and make recommendations to the state board concerning whether a grant should be awarded to the education provider and the recommended amount of the grant. If the department determines an application is missing any information required by rule to be included with the application, the department may contact the education provider to obtain the missing information.

(2) At a minimum, each grant application must specify:

• (a) The intended recipient schools, the number of health professionals employed by the education provider prior to receipt of a grant, and the ratio of students to school health providers in the schools operated by or receiving services from the education provider;

• (b) The education provider's plan for use of the grant money, including the extent to which the grant money will be used to increase the number of school health professionals at recipient schools and to provide behavioral health care services at recipient schools, including screenings, counseling, therapy, referrals to community organizations, and training for students and staff on behavioral health issues