A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT TO DIRECT THE DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC INSTRUCTION TO STUDY funding for mental health support SERVICES in public schools.
The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:
SECTION 1.  Study. – The Department of Public Instruction shall study and make recommendations regarding the funding structures in place to provide mental health support in public schools. The study shall include, but not be limited to, a review and analysis of all of the following:
(1)	The different ways in which mental health support in public schools receives funding in North Carolina. This shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
a.	The personnel involved in providing mental health support, including, but not limited to, nurses, psychologists, school counselors, social workers, and special education teachers.
b.	Salaries, operational costs, and contracts for services associated with the mental health support personnel identified pursuant to sub‑subdivision a. of subdivision (1) of this section.
c.	Programs to support at‑risk students.
(2)	Whether salaried positions or contracts for services are a more cost‑effective means of providing mental health support in schools.
(3)	The extent to which mental health support funding is or should be tied to the level of need at a particular school or within a particular local school administrative unit.
(4)	The advisability of tying mental health support funding to a particular measure or combination of measures. Measures may include, for example, a confidential and anonymous score for each student based on survey information and physical examinations similar to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) score.
(5)	Any other matter the Department deems relevant to the study.
SECTION 2.  Report. – The Department of Public Instruction shall report its findings and recommendations, including any legislative proposals, to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee no later than December 15, 2018.
SECTION 3.  Effective Date. – This act is effective when it becomes law.