Education - Behavioral Health and Student Well-Being and Human Flourishing (Maryland Student Well-Being and Flourishing Act)

EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MATTER ADDED TO EXISTING LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*hb0800*

HOUSE BILL 800
F1 6lr0740

By: Delegate Wolek
Introduced and read first time: February 4, 2026
Assigned to: Ways and Means

A BILL ENTITLED

AN ACT concerning 1

Education – Behavioral Health and Student Well–Being and Human Flourishing 2
(Maryland Student Well–Being and Flourishing Act) 3

FOR the purpose of updating certain provisions of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future that 4
refer to “behavioral health” to be inclusive of “student well –being and human 5
flourishing”; amending the purposes, membership, and duties of the Maryland 6
Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports to include t he furtherance of 7
student well –being and human flourishing; and generally relating to student 8
well–being and human flourishing. 9

BY repealing and reenacting, with amendments, 10
Article – Education 11
Section 5 –212(a), 5 –411(f)(2), 6 –122(a), 7 –447(a) and (d)(4), and 7–447.1(a), (c), 12
(d)(3), (k), (l), (p), and (r) 13
Annotated Code of Maryland 14
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 15

BY repealing and reenacting, without amendments, 16
Article – Education 17
Section 5–411(a), 7–447(b), and 7–447.1(q) 18
Annotated Code of Maryland 19
(2025 Replacement Volume and 2025 Supplement) 20

SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 21
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 22

Article – Education 23

5–212. 24

2 HOUSE BILL 800

(a) The target per pupil foundation amount i ncludes costs associated with 1
implementing the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future including: 2

(1) Increasing salaries; 3

(2) Additional teachers to provide professional learning and collaborative 4
time for teachers; 5

(3) Career counseling; 6

(4) Behavioral health AND STUDENT WELL –BEING AND HUMAN 7
FLOURISHING; 8

(5) Instructional opportunities for students who are college and career 9
ready and those who are not; 10

(6) Maintenance and operation of schools; 11

(7) Supplies and materials for teachers; and 12

(8) Educational technology including digital devices, broadband 13
connectivity, and information technology staff. 14

5–411. 15

(a) In this section, “Program” means the Expert Review Team Program. 16

(f) (2) An Expert Review Team may, in the course of its work under paragraph 17
(1) of this subsection: 18

(i) Perform evaluations of behavioral health services provided in a 19
school AND OVERALL STUDENT WELL–BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHING, AS DEFINED 20
IN § 7–447 OF THIS ARTICLE; and 21

(ii) If the Team determines that poor student performance is due, in 22
part, to missing or inadequate behavioral health services OR IMPEDIMENTS TO STUDENT 23
WELL–BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHING, AS DEFINED IN § 7–447 OF THIS ARTICLE, 24
make recommendations to the appropriate entities to correct the identified problems. 25

6–122. 26

(a) Except as provided in § 6–704.1 of this title and beginning on or before July 1, 27
2018, the State Board shall require all certificated school personnel who have direct contact 28
with students on a regular basis to compl ete training on or before December 1 each year, 29
by a method determined by each county board, in the skills required to: 30

HOUSE BILL 800 3

(1) Understand and respond to youth suicide risk; 1

(2) Identify professional resources to help students in crisis; 2

(3) Recognize student behavioral health issues , INCLUDING THOSE 3
ARISING OUT OF PROBLEMS WITH STUDEN T WELL –BEING AND HUMAN 4
FLOURISHING, AS DEFINED IN § 7–447 OF THIS ARTICLE; 5

(4) Recognize students experiencing trauma or violence out of school and 6
refer students to behavioral health services; and 7

(5) If the school is a community school, support any students needing the 8
services at a community school. 9

7–447. 10

(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 11

(2) “Behavioral health servic es” means trauma –informed prevention, 12
intervention, and treatment services for the social –emotional, psychological, and 13
behavioral health of students, including mental health and substance use disorders. 14

(3) “Coordinated community supports partnership” has the meaning stated 15
in § 7–447.1 of this subtitle. 16

(4) “STUDENT WELL –BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHIN G” MEANS A 17
STUDENT’S PROGRESS AND SUCCE SS ALONG EACH OF THE FOLLOWING EIGHT 18
DIMENSIONS OF WELL–BEING IDENTIFIED BY THE FEDERAL SUBSTANCE ABUSE AND 19
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ADMINISTRATION: 20

(I) SOCIAL WELL–BEING; 21

(II) ENVIRONMENTAL WELL–BEING; 22

(III) PHYSICAL WELL–BEING; 23

(IV) EMOTIONAL WELL–BEING; 24

(V) SPIRITUAL WELL–BEING; 25

(VI) OCCUPATIONAL WELL–BEING; 26

(VII) INTELLECTUAL WELL–BEING; AND 27

(VIII) FINANCIAL WELL–BEING. 28
4 HOUSE BILL 800

(b) Each local school system shall appoint a behavioral health services 1
coordinator. 2

(d) (4) The staff in the Department will be responsible for close collaboration 3
with other youth–serving agencies, the Maryland Co nsortium of Coordinated Community 4
Supports, and the Maryland Longitudinal Data System Center to establish: 5

(i) Shared goals; 6

(ii) Processes to collect and share data; and 7

(iii) Ways to leverage and blend funding to support behavioral health 8
AND OVERALL STUDENT WELL –BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHIN G in schools and 9
community–based settings. 10

7–447.1. 11

(a) (1) In this section the following words have the meanings indicated. 12

(2) “Behavioral health services” has the meaning stated in § 7 –447 of this 13
subtitle. 14

(3) “Commission” means the Maryland Community Health Resources 15
Commission. 16

(4) “Consortium” means the Maryland Consortium on Coordinated 17
Community Supports established under subsection (b) of this section. 18

(5) “Coordinated community suppor ts” means a holistic, nonstigmatized, 19
and coordinated approach, including among the following persons, to meeting students’ 20
behavioral health needs, addressing related challenges, and providing community services 21
and supports to the students: 22

(i) Teachers, school leadership, and student instructional support 23
personnel; 24

(ii) Local school systems; 25

(iii) Local community schools; 26

(iv) Behavioral health coordinators appointed under § 7 –447 of this 27
subtitle; 28

(v) Local health departments; 29

(vi) Nonprofit hospitals; 30
HOUSE BILL 800 5

(vii) Other youth–serving governmental entities; 1

(viii) Other local youth–serving community entities; 2

(ix) Community behavioral health providers; 3

(x) Telemedicine providers; 4

(xi) Federally qualified health centers; and 5

(xii) Students, parents, and guardians. 6

(6) “Coordinated community supports partnership” means an entity 7
formed to deliver coordinated community supports. 8

(7) “National Center for School Mental Health” means the National Center 9
for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland, Baltimore Campus. 10

(8) “STUDENT WELL –BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHIN G” HAS THE 11
MEANING STATED IN § 7–447 OF THIS SUBTITLE. 12

(c) The purposes of the Consortium are to: 13

(1) Support the development of coord inated community supports 14
partnerships to meet student behavioral health needs and other related challenges , 15
INCLUDING IMPROVING STUDENT WELL –BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHIN G, in a 16
holistic, nonstigmatized, and coordinated manner; 17

(2) Provide expertise for the development of best practices [in the] FOR: 18

(I) THE delivery of student behavioral health services, supports, 19
and wraparound services; and 20

(II) INCREASING STUDENT WELL –BEING AND HUMAN 21
FLOURISHING; AND 22

(3) Provide technical assistance to local school systems to support positive 23
classroom environments and the closing of achievement gaps so that all students can 24
succeed. 25

(d) The Consortium consists of: 26

(3) The following members appointed by the Governor: 27

6 HOUSE BILL 800

(i) One representative of the b ehavioral health community with 1
expertise in telehealth; 2

(ii) One representative of local departments of social services; [and] 3

(iii) One representative of local departments of health; and 4

(IV) ONE INDIVIDUAL WITH E XPERTISE IN STUDENT 5
WELL–BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHING; AND 6

(k) The Consortium shall: 7

(1) Develop a statewide framework for the creation of coordinated 8
community supports partnerships; 9

(2) Ensure that community supports partnerships are structured in a 10
manner that provides community services and supports in a holistic and nonstigmatized 11
manner that meets behavioral health , STUDENT WELL –BEING AND HUMAN 12
FLOURISHING, and other wraparound needs of students and is coordinated with any other 13
youth–serving government agencies interacting with the students; 14

(3) Develop a model for expanding available behavioral health services and 15
supports to all students in each local school system through: 16

(i) The maximization of public funding through the Maryland 17
Medical Assistance Program, including billing for Program administrative costs, or other 18
public sources; 19

(ii) Commercial insurance participation; 20

(iii) The implementation of a sliding scale for services based on family 21
income; and 22

(iv) The participation of nonp rofit hospitals through community 23
benefit requirements; 24

(4) Provide guidance and support to the Commission for the purpose of 25
developing and implementing a grant program to award grants to coordinated community 26
supports partnerships with funding necessary to deliver services and supports to meet the 27
holistic behavioral health needs , STUDENT WELL –BEING AND HUMAN FLOU RISHING 28
NEEDS, and other related challenges facing the students proposed to be served by the 29
coordinated community supports partnership and that sets reasonable administrative costs 30
for the coordinated community supports partnership; 31

(5) Evaluate how a reimbursement system could be developed through the 32
Maryland Department of Health or a private contractor to reimburse providers 33
HOUSE BILL 800 7

participating in a coordinated community supports partnership and providing services and 1
supports to students who are uninsured and for the difference in commercial insurance 2
payments and Maryland Medical Assistance Program fee–for–service payments; 3

(6) In consulta tion with the Department, develop best practices for the 4
implementation of and related to the creation of a positive classroom environment for all 5
students using evidence–based methods that recognize the disproportionality of classroom 6
management referrals, including by: 7

(i) Creating a list of programs and classroom management practices 8
that are evidence –based best practices to address student behavioral health issues in a 9
classroom environment; 10

(ii) Evaluating relevant regulations and making recomm endations 11
for any necessary clarifications, as well as developing a plan to provide technical assistance 12
in the implementation of the regulations by local school systems to create a positive 13
classroom environment; and 14

(iii) Developing a mechanism to ensure that all local school systems 15
implement relevant regulations in a consistent manner; and 16

(7) Develop a geographically diverse plan that uses both school –based 17
behavioral health services and coordinated community supports partnerships to ensure 18
that each student in each local school system has access to services and supports that meet 19
the student’s behavioral health needs and related challenges within a 1 –hour drive of a 20
student’s residence. 21

(l) A coordinated community supports partnership shall provide systemic 22
services to students in a manner that [is]: 23

(1) [Community–based] IS COMMUNITY–BASED; 24

(2) [Family–driven] IS FAMILY–DRIVEN and youth–guided; [and] 25

(3) [Culturally] IS CULTURALLY competent and that provides access to 26
high–quality, acceptable services for culturally diverse populations; AND 27

(4) INCLUDES AT LEAST ONE EXTRACURRICULAR PROG RAM THAT 28
PROMOTES STUDENT WELL–BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHING. 29

(p) (1) In this subsection, “Fund” means the Coordinated Community Supports 30
Partnership Fund. 31

(2) There is a Coordinated Community Supports Partnership Fund. 32

8 HOUSE BILL 800

(3) The purpose of the Fund is to support the delivery of services and 1
supports provided to students to meet their holistic behavioral health needs and address 2
other related challenges. 3

(4) The Commission shall administer the Fund and the provision of grants 4
and reimbursements under the Fund. 5

(5) (i) The Fund is a special, nonlapsing fund that is not subject to § 6
7–302 of the State Finance and Procurement Article. 7

(ii) The State Treasurer shall hold the Fund separately, and the 8
Comptroller shall account for the Fund. 9

(6) The Fund consists of: 10

(i) Money appropriated in the State budget to the Fund; 11

(ii) Interest earnings; and 12

(iii) Any other money from any other source accepted for the benefit 13
of the Fund. 14

(7) Except as provided in paragraph (8) of this subsection, the Fund may 15
be used by the Commission only for: 16

(i) Providing reimbursement, un der a memorandum of 17
understanding, to the National Center for School Mental Health and other technical 18
assistance providers to support the work of the Consortium; 19

(ii) Providing grants to coordinated community supports 20
partnerships to deliver services and supports to meet students’ holistic behavioral health 21
needs, INCLUDING EXTRACURRI CULAR ACTIVITIES THA T PROMOTE STUDENT 22
WELL–BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHING, and to address other related challenges; and 23

(iii) Paying any associated administrative costs. 24

(8) For fiscal year 2025 only, the Fund may be used to: 25

(i) Provide school–based behavioral health services; and 26

(ii) Reimburse the Medical Care Programs Administration for 27
school–based behavioral health services provided on a fee –for–service b asis through a 28
Medicaid waiver. 29

(9) The Governor shall include in the annual budget bill the following 30
appropriations for the Fund: 31

HOUSE BILL 800 9

(i) $25,000,000 in fiscal year 2022; 1

(ii) $50,000,000 in fiscal year 2023; 2

(iii) $85,000,000 in fiscal year 2024; 3

(iv) $40,000,000 in fiscal year 2025; 4

(v) $70,000,000 in fiscal year 2026; and 5

(vi) $100,000,000 in fiscal year 2027 and each fiscal year thereafter. 6

(10) (i) The State Treasurer shall invest the money of the Fund in the 7
same manner as other State money may be invested. 8

(ii) Any interest earnings of the Fund shall be credited to the Fund. 9

(11) Expenditures from the Fund may be made only in accordance with the 10
State budget. 11

(q) (1) Any grant funding or local school system implem entation assistance 12
provided under this section through the Commission and coordinated community supports 13
partnerships shall be supplemental to, and may not supplant, existing funding provided as 14
of fiscal year 2022 to local school systems through local go vernment expenditures or local 15
school system expenditures, or other funding sources, for school –based behavioral health 16
personnel, services, supports, or other school–based behavioral health purposes. 17

(2) The State funding provided under the Fund is supplemental to and not 18
intended to take the place of funding that would otherwise be appropriated to the Maryland 19
Community Health Resources Commission Fund in the State budget. 20

(r) Beginning on July 1, 2022, and each July 1 thereafter, the Consortium shal l 21
submit to the Accountability and Implementation Board, the Governor, and, in accordance 22
with § 2–1257 of the State Government Article, the General Assembly, a report on: 23

(1) The activities of the Consortium; 24

(2) The creation of coordinated communit y supports partnerships and the 25
area served by each partnership; 26

(3) Grants awarded to coordinated community supports partnerships; 27
[and] 28

(4) THE USE OF GRANTS TO SUPPORT EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES 29
THAT PROMOTE STUDENT WELL–BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHING; 30

10 HOUSE BILL 800

(5) TRAINING AND TECHNICA L ASSISTANCE PROVIDE D BY THE 1
CONSORTIUM TO SUPPORT STUDENT WELL–BEING AND HUMAN FLOURISHING; AND 2

[(4)] (6) All other activities of the Consortium to carry out the 3
requirements of this section. 4

SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect July 5
1, 2026. 6