Bill > SB2600

This bill establishes the Mental Awareness Program for School Act, which aims to improve mental health support and trauma-informed approaches in Mississippi schools. The legislation requires educator preparation programs to include courses on mental disturbance awareness and trauma-informed practices, defining these approaches as incorporating principles recommended by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to create a safe learning environment. The bill mandates that public school districts and charter schools work towards having at least one school counselor per 250 students, with flexibility for understaffed districts to have a single counselor serve multiple schools. Schools must create trauma-informed teams to identify students affected by trauma and provide annual training for administrators and staff on recognizing and supporting students with mental health challenges. The bill also allows school districts to collaborate with social work education consortiums to place graduate students as interns in schools, provides for the development of a toolkit to assist schools in implementing trauma-informed approaches, and requires school districts to report their counselor staffing to the State Department of Education. By 2027, each school district must develop a comprehensive plan for implementing mental health awareness strategies, including trauma-informed discipline policies and collaboration with community organizations to support students exposed to trauma.