The last action of the bill H.R. 5469 was on December 17, 2019, when it was referred to the House of Committee on Energy and Commerce. The problem that this bill is trying to address is mental health issues for youth in schools especially youth of color. This bill aims for mental health programs to be established in schools for students and to provide mental health services with trauma-informed and culturally competent focus (H.R. 5469, 2019). According to National Alliance on Mental Illness, “many mental health conditions first appear in youth and young adults, with 50% of all conditions developing by age 14 and 75% by age 24” (National Alliance on Mental Illness, n.d.). This is important to consider when teachers and faculty are working with students who are presenting behaviors and academic issues in class because appropriate services to students can be provided.
The social work perspective views this issue from the Systems Theory approach, which focuses on working with the client to strengthen their systems that impact his/her life. Some systems that generally impact a high school student’s life is their family, school, home, work, etc. It is also important that school staff, like administrators, social workers, teachers, coaches, tutors, counselors, etc. to be aware that students may have experienced different types of traumas in their childhood, which they do not speak about and/or receive appropriate services for. Therefore, it is essential for schools to provide Trauma-Informed training for staff and to use that training for the programs that will provide mental health services for students that address mental health issues. Having a program in place where the mental health needs of a student can be addressed can improve their mental health, which can then impact their behavior and academic performance.
https://www.nami.org/Learn-More/Public-Policy/Mental-Health-in-Schools
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