Delaware House Bill 200

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Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-3)
Status: Introduced on April 25 2023 - 25% progression
Action: 2023-06-01 - Amendment HA 1 to HB 200 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
Text: Latest bill text (Draft #1) [HTML]

This Act establishes a mental health services unit for Delaware high schools. The unit is phased in over 3 years, beginning in FY2024, to arrive at a final ratio of 250 full-time equivalent students grades 9-12 for a full-time school counselor, school social worker, or licensed clinical social worker. Additionally, a unit ratio of 700 full time equivalent students for grades 9-12 for employment of a full-time school psychologist. This Act defines mental health services as prevention, response, and coordination services delivered to students in high schools. Mental Health disorders are the most common health problem for school aged youth. According to the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), one in five youth are affected by a mental health disorder. Additionally, 50% of lifetime mental illnesses begin by age 14. Untreated mental illness leads to negative outcomes including increased risk of dropout, homelessness, substance abuse, other chronic illnesses, incarceration, and possibly suicide. According to the National Alliance on Mental Health, ninety percent of people who have taken their own life have had an underlying mental health condition, and suicides are on the rise. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, suicides are now the second leading cause of death for youth ages 10-14. Delaware schools need trained and experienced mental health professionals to provide prevention and support programs and services to students. This bill will lower ratios of students to counselors and increase access to mental health services for high school students. Districts and charters should prioritize the hiring of school counselors who provide mental health services over those who provide career counseling.

An Act To Amend Title 14 Of The Delaware Code Relating To School-based Mental Health Services.

Rep. Valerie Longhurst [D]	Sen. Marie Pinkney [D]	Rep. Debra Heffernan [D]	Rep. Melissa Minor-Brown [D]
Rep. Michael Smith [R]	Rep. Cyndie Romer [D]	Sen. Kyle Gay [D]	Sen. Stephanie Hansen [D]
Sen. Kyra Hoffner [D]	Sen. Russ Huxtable [D]	Sen. Spiros Mantzavinos [D]	Sen. Sarah McBride [D]
Sen. Laura Sturgeon [D]	Rep. Nnamdi Chukwuocha [D]	Rep. Kevin Hensley [R]	Rep. Jeff Hilovsky [R]
Rep. Larry Lambert [D]	Rep. Sherae'a Moore [D]	Rep. Eric Morrison [D]	Rep. Edward Osienski [D]
Rep. Stell Parker Selby [D]

Date	Chamber	Action
2023-06-01		Amendment HA 1 to HB 200 - Introduced and Placed With Bill
2023-05-04		Assigned to Appropriations Committee in House
2023-05-03		Reported Out of Committee (Education) in House with 7 Favorable, 6 On Its Merits
2023-04-25		Introduced and Assigned to Education Committee in House

Type	Source
Summary	https://legis.delaware.gov/BillDetail?LegislationId=130244
Text	https://legis.delaware.gov/json/BillDetail/GenerateHtmlDocument?legislationId=130244&legislationTypeId=1&docTypeId=2&legislationName=HB200