BILL ANALYSIS Ó
AB 1025
Page 1
ASSEMBLY THIRD READING
AB
1025 (Thurmond)
As Amended June 2, 2015
Majority vote
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|Committee |Votes |Ayes |Noes |
| | | | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+----------------------|
|Education |6-0 |O'Donnell, Chávez, | |
| | |Kim, Santiago, | |
| | |Thurmond, Weber | |
| | | | |
|----------------+------+--------------------+----------------------|
|Appropriations |11-4 |Gomez, Bonta, |Bigelow, Gallagher, |
| | |Calderon, Daly, |Jones, Wagner |
| | |Eggman, | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
| | |Eduardo Garcia, | |
| | |Gordon, Holden, | |
| | |Quirk, Rendon, Wood | |
| | | | |
| | | | |
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SUMMARY: Establishes the Multitiered and Integrated Interventions
Pilot Program to encourage inclusive practices that integrate
mental health, special education, and school climate interventions
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following a multitiered framework. Specifically, this bill:
1)Requires the California Department of Education (CDE) to
establish a three-year pilot program as part of the plan to
provide technical assistance and disseminate statewide resources
that encourage and assist local educational agencies (LEAs) in
establishing and aligning schoolwide, data-driven systems of
learning and behavioral supports.
2)Specifies that in accordance with moneys appropriated in the
annual Budget Act or another statute for the purpose of
implementing this bill, the CDE shall establish the pilot
program in three schools in each of five school districts that
apply to participate through the submission of detailed
applications providing estimates for the amount of funding being
requested for startup and evaluation of the program and
specifying their intended models. Specifies that the schools
selected shall not include the schools that received a federal
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration's "Now
is The Time" grant. Requires the CDE to select schools where at
least 60% of the student body is eligible for a free or
reduced-price meal program and whose applications detail a model
approach that targets the behavioral, emotional, and academic
needs of pupils with multitiered and integrated mental health,
special education, and school climate interventions.
3)Specifies that in addition to reflecting the school's specific
culture and needs, a school's model shall include all of the
following:
a) Formalized collaboration with local mental health agencies
to provide school-based mental health services that are
integrated within a multitiered system of support.
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b) Leverage of school and community resources to offer
comprehensive multitiered interventions on a sustainable
basis.
c) An initial school climate assessment that includes
information from multiple stakeholders, including school
staff, pupils, and families, that is used to inform the
selection of strategies and interventions that reflect the
culture and goals of the school.
d) A coordination of services team that considers referrals
for services, oversees schoolwide efforts, and utilizes
data-informed processes to identify struggling pupils who
require early interventions.
e) Whole school strategies that address school climate and
universal pupil well-being, such as positive behavioral
interventions and supports or the Olweus Bullying Prevention
Program, as well as comprehensive professional development
opportunities, that build the capacity of the entire school
community to recognize and respond to the unique
social-emotional, behavioral, and academic needs of pupils.
f) Targeted interventions for pupils with identified
social-emotional, behavioral, and academic needs, such as
therapeutic group interventions, functional behavioral
analysis and plan development, and targeted skill groups.
g) Intensive services, such as wraparound, behavioral
intervention, or one-on-one support, that can reduce the need
for a pupil's referral to special education or placement in
more restrictive, isolated settings.
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h) Specific strategies and practices that ensure parent
engagement with the school, and provide parents with access
to resources that support their children's educational
success.
4)Specifies that in accordance with an appropriation in the annual
Budget Act for the purpose of implementing this bill, the CDE
shall provide startup and evaluation funding to each school
participating in the pilot program in the following amounts:
a) $250,000 in year one;
b) $200,000 in year two; and,
c) $150,000 in year three.
5)Requires the State Department of Health Care Services, the
Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission,
and the CDE to develop a comprehensive evaluation plan to assess
the impact of the pilot program and disseminate best practices.
a) Specifies that outcomes and indicators to be reported
pursuant to this bill by schools participating in the pilot
program shall include, but need not be limited to, those
already being collected by schools, as well as designated
measures of pupil well-being, academic achievement, and
school engagement and attendance.
6)Requires the CDE to submit a report to the Legislature at the
end of the three-year period evaluating the success of the
program and making further recommendations. Requires the CDE to
make the report available to the public, and to post it on the
CDE's Internet Web site.
7)Specifies that the requirement to submit a report to the
Legislature is inoperative four years after the report is due,
consistent with Government Code requirements.
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8)Requires the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability
Commission to revise its guidelines and regulations for
Prevention and Early Intervention Programs of the Mental Health
Services Act (MHSA), pursuant to Welfare and Institutions Code
Section 5840, to require that these prevention and early
intervention programs in K-12 schools are designed to support
the implementation or expansion of model programs in accordance
with the criteria set forth in this bill.
9)Sunsets and repeals on January 1, 2020, unless a later enacted
statute, that is enacted before January 1, 2020, deletes or
extends that date.
FISCAL EFFECT: According to the Assembly Appropriations
Committee, unknown General Fund administrative costs to CDE,
likely in excess of $400,000. Administrative workload associated
with this new program include application development,
administering grant awards, coordinating with the Department of
Health Care Services to develop a comprehensive evaluation plan to
assess the benefits of the program, disseminating best practices,
data collection and reporting requirements.
COMMENTS: Purpose of the bill. The author states,
Nearly one in four youth are living in poverty, almost 60,000
youth are currently placed in foster care and it is estimated
that 20%of youth are in need of mental health intervention.
Too often, students in disadvantaged communities face
relational and environmental stressors that, when left
unaddressed, hinder their ability to achieve their full
potential. Compounded traumatic stressors including poverty
and exposure to violence have been found to negatively affect
student academic achievement, learning and emotional
development, and result in disproportionately high referral
rates to special education services. Risk factors that are
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known to negatively impact the social emotional wellbeing and
academic achievement of students are widespread.
Unfortunately, the needs of students facing such challenges
often go unrecognized or are misunderstood. Unaddressed
student needs frequently result in more profound behavioral
and academic challenges that can necessitate costly,
restrictive interventions including entering into the juvenile
justice system. The fragmentation of our education and mental
health systems only makes the situation worse. The school
setting presents an important opportunity to identify and
respond to the comprehensive needs of youth, reducing barriers
to access as well as the stigma that is often associated with
seeking help. Working in partnership with mental health
providers, the school community can be empowered with the
skills and resources to promote the wellbeing and achievement
of all students.
Mental health services in schools. According to the CDE, mental
health services in schools include a broad range of services,
settings, and strategies. Psychological and mental health
services in schools apply learning theory for individuals and
groups to improve instruction and coordinate and evaluate plans to
meet unique individual needs for learning or behavior problems.
School psychologists also use research to design prevention and
intervention programs, and provide crisis intervention, suicide
prevention, and other mental health strategies as part of a
student support services team. Mental health services that are
provided in schools may include academic counseling, brief
interventions to address behavior problems, and assessments or
referrals to other systems. However, most of the mental health
services provided by schools are within the context of special
education and meeting the requirements specified in a student's
individualized education program.
What does this bill do? This bill, in accordance with funds
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provided in the Budget Act, establishes a pilot program to
encourage practices that integrate mental health, special
education, and school climate interventions using a multitiered
framework. This bill requires the CDE to select three schools
enrolling at least 60% of students eligible for free and
reduced-price meals in five school districts - that have not been
selected for participation in a federal pilot project - for
participation in the pilot. Applications submitted by schools
must detail how it will target the behavioral, emotional, and
academic needs of pupils with multitiered and integrated mental
health, special education, and school climate interventions. The
bill requires a school's plan to include specified components.
Multitiered interventions. This bill requires the pilot to use a
multitiered approach. Over the last several years, schools have
adopted less punitive disciplinary policies and implemented
school-wide intervention-type proposals in an attempt to keep
students in school. For example, schools throughout the state
have implemented the Schoolwide Positive Behavior Intervention and
Support program (SW-PBIS). SW-PBIS has roots in the Individuals
with Disabilities Act of 1997, used to identify specific learning
disabilities. The United States Department of Education
encourages SW-PBIS strategies and has an Internet Web site with
resources to provide technical assistance to school districts.
SW-PBIS is a form of multitiered system of support. As indicative
in the name, the strategies are based on a tiered system. At the
first tier, belief systems and practices are implemented
schoolwide. Students at risk of developing emotional or
behavioral problems requiring a higher level of intervention may
be referred to more focused attention, such as those in small
group settings, in tier 2. At the highest level of intervention,
tier 3, students may receive individualized attention, such as
referral to counseling.
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services "Now is the Time" pilot
projects. Following the school shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary
in Connecticut in December 2012 where 26 students and school staff
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were killed by a former student with mental health issues,
President Obama established a grant program to increase students'
access to mental health treatments. California received $9.7
million from the "Now is the Time Project Advancing Wellness and
Resilience in Education" grant last fall. According to the CDE,
the grant has two components. Three LEAs, Garden Grove Unified
School District, Santa Rosa City Schools, and the San Diego County
Office of Education, were selected to participate in the first
component of the grant. The LEAs will establish a process for
referring and connecting children to mental health services. If
successful, the models developed by these LEAs can be shared
statewide. The second component utilizes a training program
called Youth Mental Health First Aid. The training teaches school
staff how to help youth experiencing mental health or addictions
challenges or are in crisis. This bill specifies that grants
awarded pursuant to this bill shall not include LEAs that received
"Now is the Time" funds.
MHSA. Proposition 63 was passed by voters in November 2004. The
MHSA imposes a 1% income tax on personal income in excess of $1
million and provides funding for programs to address mental health
needs, including Prevention and Early Intervention. The MHSA
established the Mental Health Services Oversight and
Accountability Commission, comprised of 15 members, including the
SPI and a school district superintendent, to oversee the
implementation of the MHSA. This bill requires the Commission to
revise its guidelines and regulations to require Proposition 63
funds for prevention and early intervention programs to be
designed to support the implementation or expansion of model
programs in accordance with the criteria established by this bill.
Analysis Prepared by:
Sophia Kwong Kim / ED. / (916) 319-2087 FN:
0000822
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