Student Wellness Garners $250 Million Under Portantino Bill Heading to Governor’s Desk
For Immediate Release: August 31, 2022
Contact: Lerna Shirinian, (818) 409-0400
Student Wellness Garners $250 Million Under Portantino Bill Heading to Governor’s Desk
Sacramento, CA – Senate Bill 1302, a measure authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – Burbank), will provide grants to high schools to establish or improve wellness and mental health support centers on campus. The measure is headed to the Governor’s desk for signature.
“When as many as three out of five teenagers contemplate suicide or grapple other mental health struggles, it’s urgent that we invest in our student’s wellbeing,” commented Senator Portantino. “Teachers and administrators are overwhelmed and our students need access to mental health resources. SB 1302 will help schools to provide much needed emotional and mental health support on our campuses. Mental health centers are necessary for the long-term wellbeing and academic success of our students and I am pleased that this important student focused measure is heading to the Governor.”
Recent studies suggest that a majority of students are not currently receiving the emotional support they need. More than 75% of principals stated that the mental health needs of students were a problem on campus, and two-thirds of teachers said they were unequipped to deal with their students’ mental health needs. A 2020 study by the California Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission found that one in three high school students reported feeling chronically sad and hopeless, with the number rising to more than half for LGBT students. One in six high school students reported having considered suicide in the past year, and one in three LGBT students.
SB 1302 would appropriate $250 million to the Superintendent of Public Instruction to provide annual grants of up to $250,000 to each local educational agency serving high school students to establish or improve student wellness centers. The bill would require grant funds to provide mental health services provided or supervised by an appropriately licensed or credentialed mental health professional and to be used for activities that will help pupils to be healthy in body, mind, and spirit in order to learn successfully. Finally, SB 1302 would require the State Department of Education to identify criteria for the evaluation of applicants and the awarding of grants.
"As California's largest youth-led education advocacy organization, GENup has seen firsthand the detrimental mental health crisis impacting students across the nation,” stated Alvin Hong Lee, GENup Executive Director. “COVID-19 has further exacerbated and compounded this crisis. As the Golden State, we have a responsibility to our 6 million public school students, to do our best for them. Mental health is consistently a top-priority issue students want addressed. It is now time the state makes the critical investment necessary to best support and serve our nation's largest public school system. At its core, signing SB 1302 would send a clear signal that California believes strongly in putting kids first!"
Senator Portantino has long been advocating for policies that improve mental health outcomes for youth. Last year, he authored SB 14 and SB 224, which address the growing mental health crisis among California’s youth by implementing mental health education and training in schools. Governor Newsom signed both measures into law. The Senator also previously authored SB 972, a measure that required schools to print the suicide hotline on student identification cards. Additionally, the Senator dedicated three years to pass SB 328, which pushes back school start times for middle and high schools.
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