(a) By March 30, 2013, the Mayor shall submit a comprehensive plan to the Council for the expansion of early childhood and school-based behavioral health programs and services by the 2016-2017 school year. At minimum, the plan shall:

• (1) Establish a strategy to enhance behavioral health services in all public schools and public charter schools, including:
  • (A) The implementation of programs that:
    • (i) Include interventions for families of students with behavioral health needs;
    • (ii) Reduce aggressive and impulsive behavior; and
    • (iii) Promote social and emotional competency in students; and
  • (B) The expansion of school-based mental health services as follows:
    • (i) By the 2014-2015 school year, services are available to at least 50% of all public and public charter school students;
    • (ii) By the 2015-2016 school year, services are available to at least 75% of all public and public charter school students; and
    • (iii) By the 2016-2017 school year, services are available to all public and public charter school students;
• (2) Include an analysis of whether current health education Standard align with actual behavioral health needs of youth and any recommendations for proposed changes; and
• (3) Provide recommendations for the expansion of behavioral health programs and services at child development facilities. (b)
• (1) The Mayor shall not alter the school-based behavioral health programs and services model for the 2017-2018 school year.
• (2) There is established a Task Force on School Mental Health (“Task Force”) to steer the creation of a comprehensive plan to expand school-based behavioral health programs and services. The Task Force shall consist of the following:
  • (A) The Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services or his or her designee, to co-chair the task force;
  • (B) The Deputy Mayor for Education or his or her designee;
  • (C) The Director of the Department of Behavioral Health or his or her designee;
  • (D) The State Superintendent of Education or his or her designee;
  • (E) A Department of Behavioral Health school mental health program clinician appointed by the Chairperson of the Committee on Health, in consultation with committee members;
  • (F) The Chairperson of the Committee on Health or his or her designee;
  • (G) The Chairperson of the Committee on Education or his or her designee;
  • (H) A Department of Behavioral Health school mental health program clinician appointed by the Mayor;
  • (I) A representative of a core service agency appointed by the Mayor;
  • (J) A non-core service agency school mental health provider appointed by the Mayor;
  • (K) A District of Columbia Public Schools representative appointed by the Mayor;
  • (L) A parent of a District of Columbia Public Schools student and a parent of a District of Columbia public charter school student appointed by the Chairperson of the Committee on Education, in consultation with committee members;
  • (M) A non-core service agency school mental health provider appointed by the Chairperson of the Committee on Education, in consultation with committee members;
  • (N) A District of Columbia public charter school representative appointed by the Chairperson of the Committee on Education, in consultation with committee members;
  • (O) A representative of a core service agency appointed by the Chairperson of the Committee on Health, in consultation with committee members; and
  • (P) A school mental health expert appointed by the Chairperson of the Committee on Health, in consultation with committee members, to co-chair the task force.
• (3) The Task Force shall review the comprehensive plan submitted to the Committee on Health and the Committee on Education on May 9, 2017, by the Deputy Mayor for Health and Human Services (“Deputy Mayor”).
• (4) No later than March 31, 2018, the Task Force shall provide a report to the Council and the Mayor that includes the following:
  • (A) An evaluation of the comprehensive plan submitted under paragraph (3) of this subsection, including the following:
    • (i) Any shortcomings or defects in the plan;
    • (ii) An analysis of healthcare provider interest in participating in the plan;
    • (iii) An analysis of healthcare provider capacity to participate in the plan; and
    • (iv) District of Columbia Public Schools and District of Columbia public charter schools interest in participating in the plan;
  • (B) An analysis of the school mental health programs and providers currently operating in District of Columbia Public Schools and District of Columbia public charter schools, including best practices;
  • (C) An analysis of the Department of Behavioral Health’s current school mental health program (“SMHP”) to determine what schools participate in the SMHP and what activities occur across the schools, including an analysis of available Department of Behavioral health data, such as the following:
    • (i) The number of psychiatric admits for children by school;
    • (ii) The number of children with an individualized education plan; and
    • (iii) Existing SMHP data for the number of sessions and number of clients per school;
  • (D) A comprehensive plan to expand school-based behavioral health programs and services, which shall include:
    • (i) The Task Force’s proposed changes to the Deputy Mayor’s comprehensive plan under paragraph (3) of this subsection;
    • (ii) A timeline for implementation of the Task Force’s comprehensive plan;
    • (iii) A funding source for the Task Force’s comprehensive plan;
    • (iv) A workforce development strategy;
    • (v) The District-wide need for school-based behavioral health programs and services; and
    • (vi) Evaluation criteria to determine the common metrics all school mental health providers should collect so indicators of success may be reported across providers.

The model policy, intended to guide LEAs in developing and adopting their own policies to prevent and address bullying, includes an appendix of bullying prevention programs and resources, of which some take a social-emotional learning approach.