HB 239 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb239-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to student mental health; amending s. 2
1006.041, F.S.; requiring minimum ratios of school 3
psychologists and of certified school counselors, 4
school social workers, or other licensed mental health 5
professionals to students in certain grades, 6
respectively, beginning with a specified school year; 7
making technical changes; providing an effective date. 8
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Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 10
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Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subsection (2) of section 12
1006.041, Florida Statutes, is amended to read: 13
1006.041 Mental health assistance program. —Each school 14
district must implement a school -based mental health assistance 15
program that includes training classroom teachers and other 16
school staff in detecting and responding to mental health issues 17
and connecting children, youth, and families who may experience 18
behavioral health issues with appropriate services. 19
(2) A plan required under sub section (1) must be focused 20
on a multitiered system of supports to deliver evidence -based 21
mental health care assessment, diagnosis, intervention, 22
treatment, and recovery services to students with one or more 23
mental health or co-occurring substance abuse di agnoses and to 24
students at high risk of such diagnoses. The provision of these 25
HB 239 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb239-00
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F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
services must be coordinated with a student's primary mental 26
health care provider and with other mental health providers 27
involved in the student's care. At a minimum, the plan m ust 28
include all of the following components: 29
(a) Direct employment of school -based mental health 30
services providers to expand and enhance school -based student 31
services and to increase reduce the ratio of staff to students 32
to staff in order to better alig n with nationally recommended 33
ratio models. The Providers must shall include, but need are not 34
be limited to, certified school counselors, school 35
psychologists, school social workers, and other licensed mental 36
health professionals. However, by the beginnin g of the 2027-2028 37
school year and each subsequent school year, the ratio of school 38
psychologists must be at least 1 per 700 full -time students in 39
grades 9 through 12 and the ratio of certified school 40
counselors, school social workers, or other licensed me ntal 41
health professionals must be 1 per 250 full -time students in 42
grades 9 through 12. The plan must also identify strategies to 43
increase the amount of time that school -based student services 44
personnel spend providing direct services to students, which may 45
include the review and revision of district staffing resource 46
allocations based on school or student mental health assistance 47
needs. 48
Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 49
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