Creating Safe and Supportive Schools

The unimaginable tragedies, crises, and conversations happening in kids’ lives deeply affect their ability to learn and a school’s ability to provide safe and supportive environment. Schools have a great deal at stake in addressing mental health concerns, including the implications for academic performance. Learning is inextricably connected to a student’s mental health. When students are socially, emotionally, and mentally well, they engage more successfully in learning.

Student mental health is associated with test scores, school commitment, attendance, grades, and graduation rates.1 Further, school mental health impacts teachers in terms of increased retention, feelings of support, and improved job satisfaction. Communities benefit when kids spend more time in classrooms, when caregivers need less time off from their jobs, and when less truancy and discipline issues occur in schools.

For a student experiencing trauma, stress, or other difficult life events, learning can be challenging. Trauma and stress are associated with difficulties with concentration, memory, motivation, and decision making.2 This may be recognized immediately, or not evident until later. Emotional and behavioral effects of trauma are known to spike more than a year after trauma exposure, so appropriate supports need to be readily available at any time.

The timeframe for effectively responding to students’ and staff’s mental well-being cannot be standardized. Thus, a robust array of services and support should be available immediately and continue into the future to best respond to school-wide and individual traumas.3 However, this is difficult for many Texas school districts as they do not receive any dedicated funding to support mental health and well-being.

State Financial Support for School Mental Health

School funding not only impacts learning and teaching environments, but how a student is holistically supported. Public education funding impacts schools’ ability to provide safe and supportive campuses that foster learning and growth, inclusive of mental health. Without dedicated funds to school districts for mental health, availability of support, services, and programs in schools is the result of discretionary budget decisions. These may be available to only certain student populations or supported using funds from allotments such as the compensatory or school safety allotment, applying for state grants or pilot programs, or utilizing federal funds. However, sustainability of these sources is not guaranteed. School district leadership often grapple with decisions around how to fund numerous competing priorities with constrained resources.4,5,6,7

School Safety Allotment

During the 86th legislative session, Senate Bill 11 created an annual School Safety Allotment (SSA) to fund strategies related to school safety and security, inclusive of mental health and school climate. The SSA has overwhelmingly been used for campus security despite a wide array of allowable uses. The Texas School Safety Center has surveyed schools on categorical spending of their SSA funds from 2017-2023. The data reflects a small percentage of districts report any portion of their SSA used on allowed mental health or school climate.

During the 87th Texas Legislative session, HB 1525 passed and included a provision requiring TEA to publish an annual report on SSA expenditures. TEA’s first School Safety Allotment Report reflected the funds’ almost exclusive use for campus security and physical hardening: in FY23, only 1.4% were used on mental health:

  • Less than $17,000 or 0.06% on preventing or addressing Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
  • Less than $20,000 or 0.07% on counselors, social workers, or restorative practice-trained individuals
  • About $225,000 or 0.8% on providing mental health personnel and support
  • $554 or 0.002% on providing behavioral health support
  • $128,000 or 0.5% on suicide prevention, intervention, or postvention.8

Addressing this disparate reported spending, advocates have recommended a separate allotment for mental health uses. The creation of a school mental health allotment was included as a recommendation in the Interim Report to the 88th Texas Legislature provided by the Select House Committee on Youth Health & Safety.9 Texas would join states like Ohio and Florida which have created separate and specific allotments for mental health and well-being in schools.10,11 During the 88th legislative session, there were efforts to create this allotment through HB 2451 (Allison) and SB 945 (West), though neither bill received a committee hearing in their respective chambers. Senate members publicly discussed the possibility of an interim charge studying a mental health allotment. Ultimately it was not included in either the Senate or House interim charges.

Federal COVID-19 relief funding for public education (ESSER) was used by a number of districts to support school mental health. A statewide survey in 2022, reflecting participation of 756 LEAs (62.1 percent of districts and charter schools), found 73 percent used ESSER funds for mental health.12 Many report anticipated challenges in continuing these supports as the funding will expire September 2024.13

Texas Laws

While dedicated resources are not allocated through the state budget to support their implementation, Texas has mandated numerous requirements related to mental health and substance use to TEA and school districts.14,15,16,17 Though not exhaustive, some school hardening mandates included as designated funds for “school safety” have discretionary uses, inclusive of mental health. These requirements in the Texas Education Code (TEC) are summarized below:

Mandates to TEA

TECRequirement Language
§21.462Resources for Students with Mental Health (MH) or Substance Use (SU) Concerns: TEA, with HHSC, is required to establish and maintain a website with employee resources for  working with students with MH or SU concerns. 
§28.021222 Health Science Career Information: TEA is required to ensure any information provided to students relating to health science careers includes MH professions. 
§37.115 (b) Threat Assessment and Safe and Supportive School Program (SSSP) and Team: TEA, with the Texas School Safety Center (TxSSC), is required to “adopt rules to establish a safe and supportive school program.” 
§37.220 Model Threat Assessment Team Policies and Procedures: TEA, with TxSSC, is responsible for developing model policies and procedures to assist school districts in establishing and training threat assessment teams.
§38.013(a)(2-3) Coordinated Health Programs: TEA is required to make one or more coordinated health programs that includes MH and SU education available to each elementary, middle school, and junior high school. 
§38.0591 Increasing Student MH Access Guidance: TEA and HHSC are required to develop guidelines on how districts can partner with community MH and SU providers to increase student access to MH services, and MH services through Medicaid. 
§38.251 (a) Rubric To Identify Resources: TEA is required to develop a rubric for use by ESCs to identify resources related to student MH available to schools in their regions. 
§38.253 Statewide Inventory of MH Resources: TEA is required to develop a list of statewide MH resources available to school districts. 
§38.254 Statewide Plan for Student MH: TEA shall develop a statewide plan “to ensure all students have access to adequate mental health resources.” 
§38.302-38.312 Collaborative Task Force on Public School Mental Health: TEA is responsible for developing, appointing members, and supporting the work and goals of a task force studying and evaluating school MH services funded by the state. 
§38.351(a) Trainings, policies, procedures, and best practices: TEA, with HHSC and ESCs is responsible for creating and maintaining a list of recommended best practices and programs for elementary, junior high, middle, and high schools, including: 

  • Early mental health prevention and intervention; 
  • Building skills related to managing emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making; 
  • Substance abuse prevention and intervention; 
  • Suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention; 
  • Grief-informed and trauma-informed practices; 
  • Positive school climate; 
  • Positive behavior interventions and supports; 
  • Positive youth development; and 
  • Safe, supportive, and positive school climate. 
    • §38.351(l) Guiding principles on the coordination of programs and practices: TEA is required to develop guiding principles on the coordination of programs and practices under §38.351(a) for districts.

    Mandates to Districts

    TECRequirement(s) Language
    §21.451(d)(3) Staff Development: Excluding principals, educator professional development must include training on suicide prevention, establishing and maintaining positive relationships among students, including conflict resolution, and bullying. 
    §21.054 (e)(5) Principal Continuing Education: Must include (but cannot exceed 25 percent of training required every 5 years) instruction regarding “mental health programs addressing a mental health condition.”
    §21.054 (f)(4) School Counselor Continuing Education: Continuing education required every five years for a counselor must include at least 25 percent of training on “counseling students concerning mental health conditions and substance abuse, including through the use of grief-informed and trauma-informed interventions and crisis management and suicide prevention strategies…” 
    §29.081(e-3) Dropout Recovery Program: If a school offers it, a dropout recovery program must offer or provide referrals for mental health services to students enrolled. 
    §22.904 Mental Health Training: Every employee “who regularly interacts with students enrolled at the district” is required to “complete an evidence-based mental health training program designed to provide instruction to participants regarding the recognition and support of children and youth who experience a mental health or substance use issue that may pose a threat to school safety.” 
    §28.002 (2)(B)(ii) Required Curriculum: Districts that offer K-12 are required to “offer an enrichment curriculum that includes health, with an emphasis on mental health…” 
    §37.0814  Armed Security Guard: School boards are required to determine the appropriate number of armed security officers for each campus, with a minimum of 1. School safety allotment funds are authorized to be used to fill this requirement. 
    §37.0831(b)(2) Dating Violence Counseling: Districts are required to adopt and implement a dating violence policy in their district improvement plan that includes counseling for affected students. 
    §37.0832(c)(6) Bullying Counseling: Districts are required to adopt a bulling policy that includes available counseling options of victims, witnesses, or perpetrator. 
    §37.108 (f)(6) Multi-hazard Emergency Operations Plan (MEOP): Districts are required to include provisions for supporting the “psychological safety” of students, district personnel, and the community during the response and recovery phases following a disaster or emergency in their MEOP. These provisions are required to be aligned with TEC §38.351, include strategies to ensure required school personnel training related to suicide prevention and trauma informed care is provided, and include training on psychological safety and suicide prevention to the safety and security committee, school counselors and mental health professionals, and educators and “other district personnel as determined by the district.” 
    §37.1141(a)(5)(B) Active Threat Exercises: Districts are prohibited from active threat exercises, including active shooter simulation, not developed by a team inclusive of school-based mental health professionals.  
    §37.115 (c-k) Threat Assessment and Safe and Supportive School Program (SSSP) and Team: 
    School boards are required to adopt policies and procedures and establish a “threat assessment and safe and supportive school team” to serve each campus. As long as each campus is assigned a team, they may serve more than one. 

    The team is responsible for developing and implementing the safe and supportive school program (SSSP) at each of its assigned campuses. Superintendents are required to ensure expertise in counseling, behavior management, mental health and substance use, classroom instruction, special education, school administration, school safety and security, emergency management, and law enforcement on each team “to the greatest extent practicable.” 

    The policies and procedures adopted must be consistent with the model policies and procedures developed by the TxSSC; require each team to complete training regarding evidence-based threat assessment programs provided by the TxSSC or an ESC; require each team to report its activity to TEA; and require each campus to establish a clear procedure for students to report concerning behavior. 

    The superintendent is authorized a new or existing committee to oversee the team’s operation. This committee must include members with expertise in human resources, education, special education, counseling, behavior management, school administration, mental health and substance use, school safety and security, emergency management, and law enforcement.  

    Each team is responsible for conducting student threat assessments, providing guidance to students and employees on recognizing “harmful, threatening, or violent behavior that may pose a threat to the community, school, or individual,” and support the district in implementing its MEOP. Before a team may conduct a threat assessment, the parent/guardian must be notified and given an opportunity to participate in-person or virtually. After completing threat assessments, the team is required to provide the findings and conclusions to the parent/guardian. 

    Each team is responsible for reporting information to TEA, including the team’s activities and other information for each campus served. This data includes member’s occupation and training, the number of threats and the type of the threat reported, the outcome of each assessment, and student demographic and outcome data disaggregated. 
    §37.117 Silent Panic Alert Technology: Every classroom is required to have silent panic alert technology for immediate contact with district and community emergency services, law enforcement, health departments, and fire departments. School safety allotment funds are authorized to be used to fill this requirement.  
    §38.036 (a-c) Trauma-Informed Care Policy: Districts are required to adopt and implement a policy requiring the integration of trauma-informed practices and if applicable, include it in the district improvement plan. 
    §38.040(a-b) Fentanyl Abuse Prevention and Drug Poisoning Awareness Education: Districts are required to annually provide instruction related to fentanyl abuse prevention and drug poisoning awareness to students in grades 6-12. 
    §38.252 Regional Inventory of Mental Health Resources. ESCs are required to use a rubric provided by TEA to identify available resources in their region related to student mental health. 
    §38.353 Suicide Prevention/Student IDs: Every student ID printed in grades 6-12 are required to include the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, the Crisis Text Line, and a local suicide prevention hotline, if available. 
    §38.351 (g) Suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention trainings: Districts are required to provide suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention training for teachers, school counselors, principals, and “all other appropriate personnel.” Elementary campuses are exempt if sufficient funding and programs are not available. 
    §38.351 (i) Mental Health Practices and Procedures: Districts are required to develop practices and procedures concerning each area, and be included in annual student handbooks and in district improvements plan, if applicable: 
    – Early mental health prevention and intervention; 
    – Building skills related to managing emotions, establishing and maintaining positive relationships, and responsible decision-making; 
    – Substance abuse prevention and intervention; 
    – Suicide prevention, intervention, and postvention; 
    – Grief-informed & trauma-informed practices; 
    – Positive school climate; 
    – Positive behavior interventions and supports; 
    – Positive youth development; and 
    – Safe, supportive, and positive school climate. 

    Creating Safe Schools

    Research shows that mental illness alone does not predict dangerousness.18 Research shows loneliness, isolation, anger, and despair are more accurate predictors of violence than a mental health diagnosis.19,20 These are not diagnosable mental illnesses, but conditions brought on by societal drivers that create unhealthy communities and therefore unhealthy individuals. Psychotropic medications and psychiatric care are not going to cure this. After a school shooting, discussions can quickly focus on the need for increased mental health services. Misinformation often attempts to connect mental health services with safety which incorrectly implies untreated mental illness leads to violence. A focus on mental health will not identify the “next school shooter,” but a focus on creating positive school climates for every student can make a positive movement toward the well-being of students.

    Focus on creating positive school climates and building relationships between students, staff, and the community can help identify and connect students to support before any crises occur. Engaging with families, parents, and caregivers is an important component of building these relationships. Parental involvement, including perceived parental involvement, is a protective factor for youth’s mental health.21 Studies have shown that parental engagement in schools can promote positive education and health behaviors among children and adolescents.22 This is often critical so children can receive support before, during, and after school.

    For many kids, school is often the first opportunity for intervention when mental health or substance use services or supports are needed. Support can be as simple as having a safe adult to talk to. Not every kid will need clinical or crisis services. While crisis services are an important component in a full continuum of care, the goal should be an upstream and preventative approach. Mental health should be one component of a multi-strategy approach in creating positive school climates.

    Positive School Climates

    Cultivating well-being at schools includes a wide array of school-wide practices that improve the school climate, including the availability of comprehensive school-based mental health services. A comprehensive approach to school-based mental health focuses just as much on mental health promotion and prevention as it does on intervention and treatment. These strategies not only provide support to kids with a diagnosed mental health condition but benefit all students’ mental well-being. Strategies can include implementing positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS), trauma-informed practices, or restorative discipline.

    Connection vs Punitive Responses

    Unfortunately, mental health conditions, substance use, or trauma can be misidentified as “bad” behavior. Without other resources, punishments such as classroom removals are often implemented. Despite the lack of evidence that exclusionary discipline is an effective method of changing student behavior, it is often used. During the 2022-23 Texas school year, over 600,000 children were suspended, expelled, or placed in an alternative education program more than 1.6 million times.23 Over 69 percent of the time, a violation of the local code of conduct caused the removal so the specific reasons students are being disciplined or the kind of supports teachers need in the classroom are unknown.24

    We know that punitive discipline negatively affects students’ sense of safety, well-being, and ability to learn, while increasing the likelihood of lowered academic performance, dropping out, antisocial behavior, and future contact with the justice system.25,26,27 Teachers and schools need the proper resources to ensure classrooms are adequately managed, everyone feels safe, and teachers can focus on teaching.

    Supporting Teachers and School Staff

    Ultimately, students’ responses to stress and trauma may interfere with the classroom environment and a teacher’s ability to teach. When students’ mental wellness is addressed, the school climate is improved for all, including teachers and staff. Supporting mental health in schools and improving the school’s climate leads to teachers feeling better supported, higher rates of job satisfaction and teaching efficacy, healthier classroom environments and student-teacher relationships, and lower levels of stress.28,29 Already overburdened teachers can experience burnout from lack of resources or support while attempting to manage diverse issues in the classroom, including unaddressed mental health concerns.30 Championing school-wide practices that support mental health and well-being throughout the school is vital during a time of dire teacher workforce challenges.

    Community-School Partnerships

    One strategy to increase on-campus services and supports can be provided through community-school partnerships. These partnerships are collaborations between school districts and community-based organizations, which broaden availability and access. Recognizing geographical diversity of needs and behavioral health workforce challenges, Texas can leverage existing resources and allow local innovation to create solutions that fit their community. This not only alleviates competition between community organizations and schools when hiring limited mental professionals in the area but allows schools to provide mental health support without hiring a full-time employee. Most importantly, with the growing attention and resources prioritized to school hardening, schools should never have to choose between safety and mental health.

    Increased investments in these partnerships help children avoid punitive, restrictive, and expensive settings in order to get the help they need. Earlier support that prevents crises, involvement with foster care, law enforcement, or more intensive and expensive services later are best for youth, families, and the state’s bottom line. Texas has a range of possibilities to support resources in schools. Texas can support its schools by:

    • Creating and funding a Mental Health Allotment;
    • Increasing support to HHSC Prevention Programs;
    • Sustaining federal grants, such as Project AWARE and Stronger Connections; and
    • Increasing Support for At-Risk Schools & Students, including Communities in Schools and OST.

    State Funded Initiatives

    While Texas does not appropriate any funds to TEA or directly to school districts for providing mental health services, schools may access resources through other avenues funded by the state that are not statewide or may not exclusively focus on mental health and/or substance use. Existing resources include Communities in Schools (CIS), School Health and Related Services (SHARS), and the Texas Child Health Care Access Through Telehealth (TCHATT).

    Communities in Schools (CIS)

    Administered by TEA, CIS works collaboratively with schools to provide a comprehensive Integrated Student Support program to address academic and non-academic barriers to students’ success. CIS provides services in eight broad areas: mental and behavioral health, health, parental and family engagement, academic enhancement and support, attendance and engagement, college and career readiness services, enrichment services, and case management.31

    During the 2022-23 school year, 27 local CIS affiliates supported 127,315 students on 1,558 campuses across 190 school districts in Texas, including more than 500,000 hours of school-based mental health services.32 Of the students receiving CIS services, 99 percent stayed in school (grades 7-12) and 97 percent were promoted to the next grade. These students also saw improved academics, graduation rates, attendance, and behavior.33

    SHARS

    The School Health and Related Services (SHARS) program is Texas’ school-based Medicaid program. SHARS allows local education agencies (LEAs) and shared services arrangements (SSAs) to obtain Medicaid reimbursement for the provision of certain health-related services outlined in a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). School districts and SSAs must enroll as Medicaid providers and employ or contract with qualified professionals to provide these services. Certain mental health services are covered by SHARS including, counseling and psychological services, including assessments. According to the latest information available through the Health and Human Services Commission, in FY ’22 942 school districts billed Medicaid for mental health services, including counseling and psychological services.34

    The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued guidance in 2014, reversing the long-standing “free care” policy to allow states more flexibility in their school-based Medicaid programs. This would allow school districts to bill Medicaid for health services delivered to all Medicaid-enrolled children, removing the reimbursement limitation to services dictated by an IEP.

    As of May 2024, 34 states, including Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, and South Carolina, have extended their school Medicaid programs.35 While some have extended their full program, others have taken incremental approaches with certain services. Most recently, Texas attempted to incrementally extend SHARS to allow schools to bill for behavioral health during the 88th regular legislative session. Included as a recommendation in the Select House Committee on Youth Health & Safety Interim report to the 88th Texas Legislature, HB 98 (Moody/Menéndez) was passed with bipartisan support out the House but did not receive a hearing in the Senate committee.36

    TCHATT

    Established during the 86th Legislative Session, one component of the Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium (TCMHCC) is the Texas Child Health Access through Telehealth (TCHATT) program. According to TCMHCC, “after obtaining parental consent, TCHATT provides Texas students access to school-based telemedicine mental health care. Services include assessments, short-term treatment, psychiatric intervention, care coordination, education, and referrals to community-based services when continuity of care is needed.”37

    As TCHATT expands into new districts and subsequently identifies more children in need of support, the availability of community-based services for youth and their family is crucial. In October 2023, about half of students seen by TCHATT needed five or more encounters and over 56 percent of students were referred for continued care.38 At the end of January 2024, 6,272 campuses and 799 districts were enrolled in TCHATT.39

    Federally Funded Initiatives

    Project AWARE

    Project AWARE (Advancing Wellness and Resilience in Education) is a federal grant through SAMHSA to strengthen school and community-based supports for mental health and resiliency of students. Texas was originally awarded a five-year grant in 2018 and partnered with HHSC and LEAs to design and implement the initiative. Project AWARE piloted the program to fifteen schools across five LEAs along the Texas Gulf Coast impacted by Hurricane Harvey. Over 8,400 students were served, and 100 percent of districts retained a mental and behavioral health specialist position post grant.40 The project expanded in 2021 to 3 central Texas LEAs based on the high rates of COVID-19 community impact and population growth.41 The project received an additional $1.6 million SAMHSA grant in 2024 to continue the project through the end of September 2026.42

    In partnership with the Texas Institute for Excellence in Mental Health (TIEMH) at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work at the University of Texas at Austin, Project AWARE has developed several resources including the Texas School Mental Health website. The website encompasses legislative updates, the statewide school mental health plan, a mental health database, and other resources and guides for school districts and campuses, community partners, educators, and parents. More information can be found at https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/.

    Stronger Connections Grant

    In 2022, President Biden signed the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) with over $1 billion for State education agencies (SEAs) to create Stronger Connections grant (SCG) programs. The program was designed recognizing “local evidence-based school safety and climate plans, along with other evidence-based strategies for creating safe, healthy, and supportive schools, depend on meaningful engagement between school and LEA leaders and students, parents, families, and community members, and strong relationships between students and adults.”43

    Texas received over $93 million in September 2022. TEA is required to allocate 95 percent of funds to LEAs through competitive subgrants and 5 percent to support State-level activities of technical assistance and implementation. In 2023, TEA awarded grants to over 90 high-need districts statewide, representing all 20 ESC regions, and one to ESC Region 16 Amarillo to establish the Texas Center for Student (TCSS).44

    The Stronger Connections grant program will focus on districts implementation of a Student Support Program that includes improving school climate, a student support team structure, and behavioral threat assessment implementation.45,46 TCCS will provide guidance, training, and resources to ESCs as they support the SCG district awardees’ implementation. With an approved extension, these grants will end in September 2026.47

    References

    1. Suldo, S. M., Gormley, M. J., DuPaul, G. J., & Anderson-Butcher, D. (2014). The impact of school mental health on student and school-level academic outcomes: Current status of the research and future directions. School Mental Health, 6(2), 84-98. ↩︎
    2. National Child Traumatic Stress Network. (2017). Creating, supporting, and sustaining trauma-informed schools: A system framework.https://www.nctsn.org/sites/default/files/resources//creating_supporting_sustaining_trauma_informed_schools_a_systems_framework.pdf ↩︎
    3. Saxton, J. (September 2020). Mental health and school climate: Recommendations on HB 18, HB 19, and SB 11. Texans Care for Children. https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5728d34462cd94b84dc567ed/t/5f7644d3f1af7c18bcff4723/1601586387674/testimony-house-pubed-charge1c-1f.pdf  ↩︎
    4. Texas Association of School Business Officers. (2024). The truth about school finance in Texas: Myth vs reality. https://assets-us-01.kc-usercontent.com/37044744-256f-009a-8039-e00bdaabaf39/b8b97695-1077-4505-8d1f-fda99f578ad3/Truth%20About%20School%20Finance%20txEDInsight%202.pdf ↩︎
    5. Texas AFT. (2024, February 22). Wave of layoffs hitting public schools in state with $32.7 billion surplus. https://www.texasaft.org/policy/funding/wave-of-layoffs-hitting-public-schools-in-state-with-32-7-billion-surplus/ ↩︎
    6. Dial, S. (2024, January 26). Texas school districts making cuts after state fails to pass funding increase. Fox 4 KDFW. https://www.fox4news.com/news/texas-school-funding-districts ↩︎
    7. The School Finance Indicators Database. (2024). State school finance profile, 2020-21 school year: Texas. Albert Shanker Institute, University of Miami School of Education and Human Development, & the Rutgers University Graduate School of Education. https://www.schoolfinancedata.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/profiles24_TX.pdf ↩︎
    8. Texas Education Agency. (2024). FY23 school safety allotment report. https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/government-relations-and-legal/government-relations/fy23-school-safety-allotment-report.pdf ↩︎
    9. Texas House of Representatives, Select Committee on Youth Health and Safety. (January 2023). Interim Report to the 88th Texas Legislature. https://www.house.texas.gov/pdfs/committees/reports/interim/87interim/Youth-Health-&-Safety-Committee-Interim-Report-2022.pdf ↩︎
    10. Florida Department of Education. (n.d.). Resiliency & Mental Health Resources. https://www.fldoe.org/mental-health/ ↩︎
    11. Ohio Department of Education. (2021). Student wellness funding comparison guide. https://www.lobbyistsforcitizens.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Student-Wellness-Funding-Comparison-Guide.pdf ↩︎
    12. The Collaborative Task Force on Public School Mental Health Services. (2023). Year 3 report. https://schoolmentalhealthtx.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Collaborative-Task-Force-on-Public-School-Mental-Health-Services-Year-3-Report.pdf  ↩︎
    13. Simpson, S. (2023, May 15). Texas schools say it’s time to stop typing mental health funding to school safety money. The Texas Tribune.  https://www.texastribune.org/2023/05/15/texas-schools-mental-health/  ↩︎
    14. Texas Association of School Administrators and Texas Association of School Boards. (2022). Report on school district mandates: Cost drivers in public education. https://tasanet.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/2022-TASB-TASA-Report-on-School-District-Mandates.pdf ↩︎
    15. Texas Education Code. Retrieved on March 4, 2024 from https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/SDocs/EDUCATIONCODE.pdf  ↩︎
    16. Office of Government Relations. (2023). Briefing book on public education legislation, 88th Texas legislature, regular session. Texas Education Agency. https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/government-relations-and-legal/government-relations/tea-88th-briefing-book.pdf ↩︎
    17. Texas Education Agency. (2020). Statewide plan for student mental health, Senate Bill 11. https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/government-relations-and-legal/government-relations/sb11mhsp.pdf ↩︎
    18. Swanson, J.W., McGinty, E., Fazel, S., & Mays, V.M. (2015). Mental illness and reduction of gun violence and suicide: Bringing epidemiologic research to policy. Annals of Epidemiology, 25 (2), 366-376. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annepidem.2014.03.004 ↩︎
    19. Dvoskin, J. (2018, June 1). Don’t blame mental illness for our nation’s gun violence epidemic. Psychology Benefits Society. 
      https://psychologybenefits.org/2018/06/01/dont-blame-mental-illness-for-our-nations-gun-violence-epidemic/ ↩︎
    20. Knoll, J. L. & Annas, G. D. (2016). Mass shootings and mental illness. In L. H. Gold & R. I. Simon (Eds.), Gun violence and mental illness (pp. 81–104). Arlington, VA: American Psychiatric Association Publishing. ↩︎
    21. https://srcd.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/cdev.12153 ↩︎
    22. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/protective/pdf/parentengagement_teachers.pdf ↩︎
    23. https://rptsvr1.tea.texas.gov/adhocrpt/Disciplinary_Data_Products/statewidediscipline.html ↩︎
    24. Ibid. ↩︎
    25. Pufall, Jones, E., Margolius, M., Rollock, M., Tang Yan, C., Cole, M.L., & Zaff, J.F. (2018). Disciplined and disconnected: How students experience exclusionary discipline in Minnesota and the promise of non-exclusionary alternatives. America’s Promise Alliance. https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED586336 ↩︎
    26. Texas Appleseed. (2019). Texas: The state of school discipline. A Look at the data: 2017-2018. https://www.texasappleseed.org/sites/default/files/2023-05/schooldisciplineintexas-new.pdf ↩︎
    27. Institute for Policy Studies. (2018). Students under siege: How the school-to prison pipeline, poverty, and racism danger our school children. https://progov21.org/Download/Document/49NC60 ↩︎
    28. Collie, R. J., Shapka, J. D., & Perry, N. E. (2012). School climate and social–emotional learning: Predicting teacher stress, job satisfaction, and teaching efficacy. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1189–1204. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0029356 ↩︎
    29. Bradley, C., Cordaro, D. T., Zhu, F., Vildostegui, M., Han, R. J., Brackett, M., & Jones, J. (2018). Supporting improvements in classroom climate for students and teachers with the four pillars of wellbeing curriculum. Translational Issues in Psychological Science, 4(3), 245-264. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tps0000162 ↩︎
    30. Ibid. ↩︎
    31. Texas Education Agency. (2022). Communities in Schools of Texas. https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/support-for-at-risk-schools-and-students/communities-in-schools ↩︎
    32. Communities in Schools of Texas. (n.d.). Affiliates. Retrieved March 4, 2024 from https://www.cisoftexas.org/cis-affiliates/  ↩︎
    33. Communities in Schools of Texas. (2023). CIS of Texas – 88th Legislature. https://www.cisoftexas.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/CIS-of-Texas-88th-Legislature-2.pdf ↩︎
    34. Texas Health and Human Services. Open Records Request: SHARS data request. Received October 22, 2024.  ↩︎
    35. Healthy Students, Promising Futures. (2024). State efforts to expand school Medicaid   https://docs.google.com/document/d/1u0j1so-se8ohhyl7AcHaaXlGX5l3s0PN2cuIDejXZQw/edit?tab=t.0 ↩︎
    36. House Bill 98, 2023, 88R, https://capitol.texas.gov/BillLookup/History.aspx?LegSess=88R&Bill=HB98 ↩︎
    37. Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium. (2022). Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium biennial report, 2021-22. https://tcmhcc.utsystem.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/FINAL-TCMHCC-Report-to-the-LBB-FYS-21-22.pdf ↩︎
    38. Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium. (2023, October 16). TMHCC executive committee meeting [Video]. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEMuI9YLCMY ↩︎
    39. Texas Child Mental Health Care Consortium. (2024, January 1). TCHATT funded services by Health-related Institution (HRI) [Infographic]. https://tcmhcc.utsystem.edu/tchatt/ ↩︎
    40. Texas Education Agency. (n.d.). AWARE-Texas – Advancing Wellness & Resiliency in Education. Retrieved March 4, 2024 from https://tea.texas.gov/about-tea/other-services/mental-health/aware-texas-advancing-wellness-resiliency-in-education ↩︎
    41. Ibid. ↩︎
    42. Steve Hicks School of Social Work. (2024, May 29). UT Austin, SHS receives grant to enhance school-based mental health supports [Press release]. UT Austin. https://socialwork.utexas.edu/ut-austin-shs-receives-grant-to-enhance-school-based-mental-health-supports/ ↩︎
    43. U.S. Department of Education. (2023). Bipartisan Safer Communities Act Stronger Connections Grant Program frequently asked questions. https://oese.ed.gov/files/2023/10/23-0083.BSCA-FAQs-approved-April-Final-Updated-October-2023.pdf ↩︎
    44. Texas Education Agency. (n.d.). Stronger Connections. Retrieved March 4, 2024 from https://tea.texas.gov/texas-schools/health-safety-discipline/safe-and-supportive-schools/stronger-connections ↩︎
    45. Weikert, H. & Blakey, A. (2023). 2024-2025 Stronger Connections Grant Program applicants’ conference/webinar [PowerPoint]. Texas Education Agency. https://tea4avcastro.tea.state.tx.us/eGrants/23-24/23681101/webslides.pdf ↩︎
    46. Texas Education Agency. (2023). Program guidelines: 2024-2025 Stronger Connections Grant Program. https://tea4avcastro.tea.state.tx.us/eGrants/23-24/23681101/proguider1.pdf ↩︎
    47. Texas Center for Student Supports. (2024). Texas Center for Student Supports frequently asked questions. Texas Education Agency. https://docs.google.com/document/d/1f7S5f4Co8WAdlWt0DEpjwRptxhRriZR8zHEEvs4Hv_U/edit ↩︎

    Updated on December 13th, 2024



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