Plain English Breakdown
The official status indicates the bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment as of August 3, 2026, but no specific effective date is listed in the provided metadata.
AB-2460: Mental Health Framework and Model Referral Protocols
This law requires state officials to create a mental health framework adaptable to local emergencies, including those involving immigration enforcement or deportations, and mandates schools serving grades 7 through 12 to update their policies accordingly.
What This Bill Does
- Requires the State Department of Education to develop a framework ensuring pupils have access to comprehensive mental health support that can adapt to locally declared emergencies.
- Directs the department to include guidance on providing equity-centered mental health supports during local emergencies related to immigration enforcement activities or deportations of students or their family members.
- Requires the State Department of Education to post updated model referral protocols containing this new guidance by July 1, 2027.
- Mandates that school districts and charter schools serving grades 7 through 12 update their behavioral health policies at a public meeting by July 1, 2028.
- Requires these updated school policies to include procedures for referring students to mental health professionals and support services during immigration-related emergencies.
Who It Names or Affects
- The State Department of Education
- School districts and charter schools serving grades 7 through 12
- Students in middle and high school, particularly those affected by local emergencies involving immigration enforcement or deportations
Terms To Know
- Model referral protocols
- Standard plans created by the state that show schools how to connect students with mental health help.
- Equity-centered framework
- A system designed to ensure fair support for all students, adaptable to local emergencies where community resources are provided.
Limits and Unknowns
- The law requires schools to update policies but allows them to either use the state's model protocols or develop their own in consultation with stakeholders.
- Reimbursement for costs mandated by this bill depends on a determination by the Commission on State Mandates.