Bill Would Help Schools Provide Mental Health Services to Students

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) on Sept. 27 unveiled a bill (HR 5352) that would provide grants for schools to improve mental health services for students, the Providence Journal reports. The "Reducing Special Education Through Prevention Act," which Kennedy formally introduced early last month, would help students with mental illnesses or emotional disturbances who cannot focus on their school work. Kennedy announced the bill one week after state Rep. Paul Sherlock (D) released a report that found Rhode Island has the highest special education rate nationwide. Kennedy, who hopes to fold the legislation into the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, said that students with emotional disturbances "fail more classes, miss more days of school, receive lower grades and are less likely to graduate than other students with disabilities." Less than 1% of students with emotional disturbances receive "effective treatment," and according to experts, "greater social and emotional supports are crucial to reduce disciplinary problems," the Journal reports. Although only 0.9% of U.S. students were in special education classes for emotional disturbances in the 2000-2001 academic year, Kennedy said that the grants provided in the legislation would allow schools to address problems "in their early stages, before they require the attention of more expensive and intensive special education." Kennedy did not estimate the cost of the bill but said that the grants "would pay for themselves" through reduced special education costs. "This bill is based on a very simple proposition. An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. We know there are a lot of kids who would never need special education services if we gave them more attention earlier. This bill will help schools do that," he said (Davis, Providence Journal, 9/28).