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) In the first and subsequent years of operation of the pilot program, each pilot school shall employ or contract with additional school mental health professionals so that each of grades one through five and the kindergarten program in each pilot school has a school mental health professional dedicated to each grade and the kindergarten program. If a single grade or the kindergarten program has more than two hundred fifty students, additional school mental health professionals must be added to the grade or kindergarten program to maintain a ratio of approximately one school mental health professional per two hundred fifty students, as determined by the pilot school. A small pilot school shall maintain a ratio of approximately one school mental health professional per two hundred fifty students, as determined by the pilot school. At least one of the school mental health professionals at each pilot school must be a school social worker.

(2) The goal of the pilot program is for a school mental health professional to develop an ongoing relationship with pilot school students and to follow those students, to the extent possible, as the students advance through the grades at the pilot school. This will allow the school mental health professional to understand the needs of the students and their families over time and to help address those needs over time, if necessary. To achieve this goal, school mental health professionals may be assigned to a cohort of students by grade or, in a smaller school, by multiple grades. School mental health professionals in each pilot school shall work as a team to address the academic and social-emotional needs of the pilot school's students and to create a safe and positive school learning environment through additional behavioral health supports.

(3) For purposes of implementing this pilot program, the general assembly shall appropriate to the department for distribution to the pilot schools, or to the governing body for the pilot school, the amount of money necessary for the pilot schools to employ or contract with the number of additional school mental health professionals necessary to implement the pilot program, as described in subsection (1) of this section. Throughout the duration of the pilot program, the pilot school must employ or contract with, at the pilot school's expense, the same number of school mental health professionals employed by or contracted with the pilot school during the 2019-20 school year, so that the appropriation to the pilot school for the pilot program supplements, but does not supplant, the pilot school's existing expenditures for school mental health professional positions prior to the operation of the pilot program.

(4) (a) In implementing the pilot program, the school mental health professionals shall work as a team, with each professional providing services to students and offering training and resources to school faculty and administrators that are authorized under the school mental health professional's special services license and endorsement.

(1) The department, with assistance from the office of suicide prevention created pursuant to section 25-1.5-101 (1)(w)(I), the Colorado youth advisory council created pursuant to section 2-2-1302, and the suicide prevention commission created pursuant to section 25-1.5-111, shall create and maintain a resource bank of evidence-based, research-based, and promising program materials and curricula pertaining to mental health, which materials and curricula may be used in elementary and secondary schools in the state. The resource bank and curricula must be youth-friendly, culturally sensitive, and available in both English and Spanish. In creating the resource bank and curricula, the department may provide internet links to resources and materials pertaining to mental health available from other entities that the department finds reliable. Additionally, the department shall solicit input from persons, including youth, within and outside of the mental health profession, including both community and school mental health professionals. Subject to available appropriations, the department shall solicit requests for information and may contract for: ...

• (c) Training for educators and school staff concerning mental health. ...

(b) A professional licensee shall complete such ongoing professional development within the period of time for which such professional license is valid. Such professional development may include but need not be limited to in-service education programs, including training in preventing, identifying, and responding to child sexual abuse and assault; behavioral health training that is culturally responsive and trauma- and evidence-informed; and laws and practices relating to the education of students with disabilities in the classroom, including but not limited to child find and inclusive learning environments; college or university credit from an accepted institution of higher education or a community, technical, or local district college; educational travel that meets the requirements specified in subsection (3)(d) of this section; involvement in school reform; service as a mentor teacher for teacher candidates participating in clinical practice, as defined in section 23-78-103; internships; and ongoing professional development training and experiences. The state board of education, by rule, may establish minimum criteria for professional development; except that such criteria shall not:

• (I) Specify any particular type of professional development activity as a requirement or partial requirement for license renewal, except as provided in subsection (3)(b.7) or (3)(f) of this section;

• (II) Require completion of more than six credit hours or more than ninety total clock hours of activities during the term of any professional license;

• (III) Prescribe a schedule for completion of professional development activity during the term of any professional license; or

• (IV) Require prior approval or supervision of professional development activities. ...

(c) In selecting professional development activities for the renewal of a professional license pursuant to this section, each licensee shall choose those activities that will aid the licensee in meeting the Standard for a professional educator, including but not limited to the following goals: ...

• (XI) Awareness of warning signs of dangerous behavior in youth and situations that present a threat to the health and safety of students and knowledge of the community resources available to enhance the health and safety of students and the school community, youth mental health, safe de-escalation of crisis situations, recognition of signs of poor mental health and substance use, and support of students. Training provided pursuant to this subsection (3)(c)(XI) must be provided using culturally responsive and trauma- and evidence-based practices ...

(f) (I) In selecting professional development activities for renewal of a professional teacher license only, in addition to the other requirements set forth in this section, except for those set forth for special services, principal, or administrator licenses in subsection (3)(b.7) of this section, the professional teacher licensee shall complete a minimum of ten clock hours of the professional development hours required during the term of any professional license in training relating to:

• (A) Behavioral health training that is culturally responsive and trauma- and evidence-informed ...

• (V) The behavioral health training required pursuant to subsection (3)(f)(I) of this section may include programs such as:

• (A) Mental health first aid specific to youth and teens;

• (B) Staff development training modules concerning how to prevent teen suicide;

• (C) Interconnected systems framework for positive behavioral interventions and supports and mental health;

• (D) Training approved or provided by the school district where the teacher is employed;

• (E) Training concerning students with behavioral concerns or disabilities;

• (F) Training modules concerning child traumatic stress; and

• (G) Any other program or training that meets the requirements of this subsection (3)(f). ...

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