Establishes "Student Mental Health Task Force."

A1294

ASSEMBLY, No. 1294

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman CODY D. MILLER

District 4 (Atlantic, Camden and Gloucester)

Assemblyman� MICHAEL VENEZIA

District 34 (Essex)

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Flynn, Morales, Assemblymen Barlas, Stanley
and Scharfenberger

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes "Student Mental Health Task
Force."

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.

��

An Act
establishing the �Student Mental Health Task Force.�

����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:

����� 1.�� a.�
There is established the �Student Mental Health Task Force.�� The purpose of
the task force shall be to examine issues related to the mental health of
students, including depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or
emotional tension, trauma, or disorder; study and survey the resources that are
available to schools and parents to address student mental health needs; and
develop recommendations to ensure that students have access to mental health
care programs and services in order to allow students to meet their educational
goals.

����� b.�� The
task force shall consist of 17 members, as follows:

����� (1)�� the
Commissioner of Education, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

����� (2)�
the Commissioner of Health, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

����� (3)�
the Commissioner of Children and Families, or a designee, who shall serve ex
officio;

����� (4)�
the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, or a designee, who shall serve ex
officio;

����� (5)�
the Director of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the
Department of Human Services, or a designee, who shall serve ex officio;

����� (6)�
one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly and one
public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, both of
whom shall have demonstrated expertise in issues related to the work of the
task force;

����� (7)�
one public member appointed by the Senate President and one public member
appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, both of whom shall have
demonstrated expertise in issues related to the work of the task force; and

����� (8)�
eight public members appointed by the Governor, who shall include: one
representative of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, one
representative of the New Jersey School Boards Association, one representative
of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one representative of the New
Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, one representative
of the New Jersey Association of Counties, one representative of the New Jersey
League of Municipalities, one member representing school district leaders, and
one school mental health professional who holds a valid educational services
certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners that may include, but is not
limited to, a school counselor, a school social worker, or a school
psychologist.

����� c.�� Members
to the task force shall be appointed within 60 days following the date of
enactment of this act.� The Commissioner of Education, or his designee, shall
serve as the chairperson of the task force.� The task force shall organize as
soon as practicable following the appointment of its members and shall select a
vice-chairperson from among its members.� The chairperson shall appoint a
secretary who need not be a member of the task force.

����� d.�� Vacancies
in the membership of the task force shall be filled in the same manner as the
original appointments were made.� Members of the task force shall serve without
compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenditures incurred in
the performance of their duties as members of the task force, subject to
available funds.

����� e.�� The
Department of Education shall provide such administrative and professional
assistance as is necessary for the task force to carry out its work.� The task
force shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the
services of the employees of any State agency as it may require and as may be
available for its purposes.

����� 2.�� a.�
It shall be the duty of the task force to examine issues related to the mental
health of students, including depression, anxiety, stress, or other
psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder; study and survey all
resources that are currently available to the schools and parents within each
county in the State, and within the northern, central, and southern regions of
the State, for helping a student or child who experiences mental health issues;
and develop recommendations to ensure that students have access to mental
health care programs and services in order to allow students to meet their
educational goals.�

����� b.�
The task force shall, at a minimum, survey the availability of:

����� (1)� mental
health treatment services provided within each county and region of the State
including, but not limited to, those services provided through a school
district, professional mental health services provider, or community mental
health services organization, and any other tools or resources to address the
mental health needs of students;

����� (2)� mental
health care provider networks that offer mental health treatment services
within each municipality, county, and region of the State;

����� (3)� State,
county, or municipal agencies within each county and region of the State that
offer funding, professional mental health treatment services, or other
resources to address the mental health needs of students; and

����� (4)� partnership
opportunities with institutions of higher education within each county and
region of the State to address the mental health needs of students.

����� c.�� The
task force shall also study and make recommendations regarding the following:

����� (1)� the
identification of public school students who experience depression, anxiety,
stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder;

����� (2)� the
evaluation and expansion of counseling programs and services available to
students experiencing mental health difficulties, and other programs designed
to address issues related to student mental health;

����� (3)� the
relationship of student mental health to school safety and security;

����� (4)� the
amount of funding that may be necessary for public schools to employ the
appropriate staff and to establish new programs or expand existing programs
necessary to address student mental health;

����� (5)� an
examination of other states that have implemented programs that have
successfully addressed depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or
emotional tension, trauma, or disorder among public school students and reduced
the number of students experiencing such difficulties; and

����� (6)� any
other proposals that the task force determines would provide for increased
access to high-quality mental health programs.

����� d.�� The
task force shall consult with parents of general education students, parents of
students who receive special education and related services, and teaching staff
members when performing the duties required pursuant to the provisions of this
section.

����� e.�� The
task force shall issue a final report to the Governor, and to the Legislature
pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), no later than one year
after the organization of the task force.� The report shall contain the results
of the survey required and recommendations developed pursuant to this section.

����� The
task force shall forward a copy of the report to every school district in the
State.

���� 3.��� This act shall take
effect immediately, and shall expire 30 days after the task force issues its
final report.

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
�Student Mental Health Task Force,� the purpose of which is to examine issues
related to the mental health of students, including depression, anxiety,
stress, or other psychological or emotional tension, trauma, or disorder; study
and survey the resources that are available to schools and parents to address
student mental health needs; and develop recommendations to ensure that
students have access to mental health care programs and services in order to
allow students to meet their educational goals.

���� The task force will consist of
the following 17 members: the Commissioner of Education, or a designee, ex
officio; the Commissioner of Health, or a designee, ex officio; the
Commissioner of Children and Families, or a designee, ex officio; the
Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, or a designee, ex officio; the Director
of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of
Human Services, or a designee, ex officio; one public member appointed by the
Senate President, one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the
Senate, one public member appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, and
one public member appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, all
four of whom shall have demonstrated expertise in issues relating to the work
of the task force; and the following eight public members appointed by the
Governor: one representative of the New Jersey Principals and Supervisors
Association, one representative of the New Jersey School Boards Association, one
representative of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, one representative
of the New Jersey Association of Mental Health and Addiction Agencies, one
representative of the New Jersey Association of Counties, one representative of
the New Jersey League of Municipalities, one member representing school
district leaders, and one school mental health professional who holds a valid
educational services certificate issued by the State Board of Examiners that
may include, but is not limited to, a school counselor, a school social worker,
or a school psychologist.

���� The task force is responsible
for examining issues related to the mental health of students, including
depression, anxiety, stress, or other psychological or emotional tension,
trauma, or disorder; study and survey all resources that are currently available
to the schools and parents within each county in the State, and within the
northern, central, and southern regions of the State, for helping a student or
child who experiences mental health issues; and develop recommendations to
ensure that students have access to mental health care programs and services in
order to allow students to meet their educational goals.

���� The task force is required to
survey the availability of certain mental health treatment services, mental
health care provider networks that offer mental health treatment, government
agencies that offer funding and mental health treatment services, and partnership
opportunities with institutions of higher education to address mental health
needs of students.

���� The task force is also
required to study and make recommendations regarding the identification of
public school students who experience mental health difficulties, the
evaluation and expansion of counseling programs and services available to
students experiencing mental health difficulties, the relationship of student
mental health to school safety and security, the amount of funding that may be
necessary for public schools to employ the appropriate staff and to establish
new programs or expand existing programs necessary to address student mental
health, an examination of mental health programs successfully implemented by
other states, and any other proposals the task force determines would provide
for increased access to high-quality mental health programs.

���� The task force, in performing
the above duties, is required to consult with parents of general education
students, parents of students who receive special education and related
services, and teaching staff members.

���� The task force will issue a
final report to the Governor and Legislature no later than one year after the
organization of the task force that contains the results of the above survey
and recommendations. The task force is required to forward a copy of the report
to every school district in the State. The task force will expire 30 days after
issuing its final report.