BILL NUMBER: AB 1025INTRODUCED BILL TEXT INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Thurmond FEBRUARY 26, 2015 An act to add Section 124174.7 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to pupil health. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 1025, as introduced, Thurmond. Pupil health: multitiered and integrated interventions pilot program. Existing law establishes a system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state, and provides for the establishment of school districts and other local educational agencies to operate these schools and provide instruction to pupils. Existing law requires the Superintendent of Public Instruction, among his or her other duties, to serve as the chief executive officer of the State Department of Education. This bill would require the State Department of Education to establish a 3-year pilot program to encourage inclusive practices that integrate mental health, special education, and school climate interventions following a multitiered framework in 3 schools in 10 school districts, as specified. The bill would require the State Department of Education to select schools where at least 60% of the student body is eligible for a free or reduced-price meal program and whose applications provide an estimate for the amount of funding being requested for start up and evaluation and 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. The bill, contingent on the enactment of an appropriation for this purpose, would require the department to provide startup and evaluation funding to each school participating in the pilot program, and would require the schools to provide certain information to the State Department of Education in accordance with a comprehensive evaluation plan developed by the State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Education to assess the impact of the pilot program and disseminate best practices. The bill would require the State Department of Education to submit a report to the Legislature evaluating the success of the pilot program at the end of the 3-year period. Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. (a) The Legislature finds and declares that pupils from all backgrounds and circumstances in California deserve adequate behavioral and academic support to achieve their full potential. The Legislature further finds and declares all of the following: (1) Pupils in California face relational and environmental stressors that diminish their ability to achieve their full potential. Among these complex challenges may be poverty, frequent exposure to violence, placement in the foster care system, and other negative experiences that result in chronic stress and trauma. Nearly 700,000 pupils in California receive special education services, and nearly one-in-four youth are living in poverty. Nearly 60,000 youth are currently placed in foster care, and as many as 20 percent of youth are in need of mental health interventions. (2) Pupils with these stressors are frequently failed by the current policies and systems in place, as measured by indicators for academic outcomes, social inclusion, emotional development, mental health support, and general pupil well-being. (A) In California, more than 20 percent of special education pupils spend less than 40 percent of their day within their regular classroom, an indicator of inclusion, compared to 14 percent of special education pupils nationally and a federal target of less than 9 percent. (B) Only 59 percent of special education pupils graduated from high school within four years in the 2010-11 fiscal year compared to 76 percent of all pupils. (C) Statewide, a recent study found only 58 percent of foster youth in grade 12 graduated compared to 85 percent of all youth, with nearly 14 percent of foster youth in grade 12 dropping out of school. (D) Far too often, youth with mental health challenges do not receive the services they need. For instance, one study found that nearly two-thirds of adolescents who experienced a major depressive disorder in the last year did not receive treatment. (E) Even by grade 3, low-income pupils perform substantially below their higher income peers in areas of social and emotional skill, social and emotional development, engagement in school, and physical well-being. (3) Current funding practices fail to adequately incentivize schools to invest in front-end preventative measures that would reduce overall cost of special education. (4) Delivery of comprehensive community-based support and resources requires a high level of collaboration among schools, school districts, and county mental health agencies. (5) Inclusive multitiered systems of behavioral and academic supports are essential to providing high-quality, cost-effective special education programs that benefit all pupils. (b) It is the intent of the Legislature that, upon demonstrated success of the pilot program established pursuant to Section 124174.7 of the Health and Safety Code, the evaluated models can be adopted by a large number of schools to increase the efficient and effective utilization of available community resources in order to promote the success of all pupils. SEC. 2. Section 124174.7 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 124174.7. (a) (1) The State Department of Education shall establish a three-year pilot program in accordance with this section to encourage inclusive practices that integrate mental health, special education, and school climate interventions following a multitiered framework. (2) For purposes of this section, "department" means the State Department of Education. (b) The department shall establish the pilot program in three schools in each of 10 school districts that apply to participate through the submission of detailed applications providing estimates for the amount of funding being requested for start up and evaluation of the program and specifying their intended models. The department shall select schools where at least 60 percent 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. In addition to reflecting the school's specific culture and needs, a school's model shall include all of the following: (1) Formalized collaboration with local mental health agencies to provide school-based mental health services that are integrated within a multitiered system of support. (2) Leverage of school and community resources to offer comprehensive multitiered interventions on a sustainable basis. (3) 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. (4) 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. (5) 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. (6) 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. (7) 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. (c) Contingent on the enactment of an appropriation in the annual Budget Act for the purpose of implementing this section, the department shall provide startup and evaluation funding to each school participating in the pilot program in the following amounts: (1) Two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) in year one. (2) Two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000) in year two. (3) One hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) in year three. (d) (1) The State Department of Health Care Services and the department shall develop a comprehensive evaluation plan to assess the impact of the pilot program and disseminate best practices. (2) Outcomes and indicators to be reported pursuant to this subdivision 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. (3) (A) The department, in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code, shall submit a report to the Legislature at the end of the three-year period evaluating the success of the program and making further recommendations. The department shall make the report available to the public, and shall post it on the department's Internet Web site. (B) The requirement to submit a report to the Legislature imposed under subparagraph (A) is inoperative, pursuant to Section 10231.5 of the Government Code, four years after the report is due.